Belgium's Metal To Infinity recently conducted an interview with former EXODUS and current HATRIOT singer Steve "Zetro" Souza. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal To Infinity: You left LEGACY (which became TESTAMENT later on), to join EXODUS. How was it to replace Paul Baloff, who was dearly beloved by the fans? Did you have a hard time to get your own spot in EXODUS?

Zetro: Honestly, it was a big set of shoes to fill. I didn't win over the diehard EXODUS fans until a couple years after I joined. Paul had such a charisma to him. He was the ultimate definition of what a true metalhead was. I wasn't fully accepted in the eyes of the fans until we started touring for "Fabulous Disaster". At that point I was the voice of EXODUS.

Metal To Infinity: You recorded your last EXODUS album, "Tempo Of The Damned", in 2004. What happened afterwards? Why were you replaced by Rob Dukes?

Zetro: Life happened. I had been out of music, at least full-time, for ten years when I rejoined EXODUS for the "Tempo" record. At that point I had a family to support and a good-paying job back at home. It was too hard to let all that go and tour for a year at a time, so I had to make a choice, and my choice was be a family man. It's that simple. The situation could have been better. I could have done things differently. I dropped the ball on the band and they were pissed off at me for a while. I understand that and I actually agree with that. My head wasn't in the right place. I couldn't do music 100% and I let them down. Family was more important. The ironic thing is now my sons are both in HATRIOT, so I have my music and my family. Things have come full circle and I am back stronger than ever!

Metal To Infinity: Altogether you [were in] EXODUS for about eight years (1986-1992 and 2002-2004), how do you look back to those years?

Zetro: I look back on those years as being the best times of my life. What an amazing ride that was! We had no idea at the time that we were making history. We were just guys playing fast music and living in the moment. There are so many good stories. One good one happened back in 1987 in the state of Florida. We were playing an ice hockey arena and the lineup was CELTIC FROST, EXODUS and ANTHRAX. The promoter had no idea that the fans were as insane as they were. There were no seats at this venue. It was all general admission and everyone was standing. They had built a wimpy barricade to try and contain people but the crowd destroyed that thing in our first song. There was one security guard in between us and the crowd and he got smashed. His legs were broken. I had to stop the show and make the crowd back up so they could get him out of there! They hauled him to the hospital wearing an EXODUS shirt…

Metal To Infinity: What is important when you join a band? Is craftsmanship prior to personal friendship and comradeship?

Zetro: Honestly, it is a bit of both. Obviously, you have to have a certain degree of musicianship and have your chops in shape to be able to pull of the material. Friendship and comradeship is big too, because you have to be able to get along with the people in the band. Being crammed in a van with a bunch of smelly dudes is bad enough without adding a personality conflict or a bad attitude to the mix. So I need both for it to work and fortunately we have that with HATRIOT right now.

Metal To Infinity: The biggest difference between now and the EXODUS years is Internet. For some a curse, for others a blessing. What's your opinion about the Internet. Is it a handful tool for a band like HATRIOT or an open gate for downloading and ripping off new bands?

Zetro: Yes, the Internet is the big gamechanger. It has totally leveled the playing field of the music business and crippled the big record companies. They are no longer the big gate keepers. The Internet, to me, is a double-edged sword. It is a great tool for getting direct contact with your fan base and I love that aspect. The downside is there are so many bands now that the market can't handle it. I don't think there is a platform for a band to become huge anymore… not for the long term anyway. The sales are not there like in the old days and that keeps bands from being able to do a band full time. It is what it is, I guess.

Metal To Infinity: Thanks to the Internet, we were able to get in touch with the band, so it has positive sides as well. For example: spreading your music and videos is really simple and there aren't any boundaries left…

Zetro: It definitely has a positive side. There's no doubt about it. The key is to be open-minded and be willing to change your marketing and promotion strategy to fit the times. I'm fine with that. There are bands and labels out there that were big back in the day and still have it stuck in their head that you can only do things one way, and these are the people that don't last. I am good with the changes in the business. We just have to adapt and do smart business where we can. Obviously, records don't sell and pay the bills. What we can do is offset the costs in other places… make a great record for ten grand instead of half a million, tour in a van instead of a bus, etc.

Read the entire interview from Metal To Infinity.

"Blood Stained Wings" video:

Guitarist JOE STUMP (HOLYHELL, RAVEN LORD) has issued the following update:
"My apologies for not updating the site, as I’ve been posting most of the more recent activity on the Facebook sites. First, thanks a ton for all the great comments and emails from fans and friends that I’ve gotten about the new record. I really appreciate it. This year I’ll be continuing to play shows in support of Revenge Of The Shredlord, so all live dates will be posted as soon as they’re confirmed.

I’m also working on a shred/metal guitar instructional book for Berklee Press that should be released later this year. The book will cover scales/scale fingerings, alternate picking, diatonic scale patterns, soloing ideas, neo-classical linear playing, open string techniques, string skipping, tremolo/double picking, sweep and economy picking, and many other things. There will be technique building etudes along with various metal pieces with backing tracks included. It’ll be a cool instructional tool for players on all levels.

Also, posted below, is some live footage from last November’s tour in Mexico. There are some great guitar and metal fans there and, as always, it was a fun trip."
Stump's new album, Revenge Of The Shredlord, is out now via Lion Music.

"Revenge Of The Shredlord is quite heavy and classically influenced," Stump remarked recently. "This one’s all metal from start to finish, very dark and focused with gratuitous amounts of shredding throughout. Also, thanks to the great work of engineer Ducky Carlise and mastering engineer Maor Appelbaum, it’s my best sounding record to date as well."

Revenge Of The Shredlord contains the following 12 songs:

'The Ritual Begins'
'Man Your Battlestations'
'Pistoleros'
'Shredlord's Sonata'
'Master's Prelude'
'In The Master's House'
'The Black Knight's Castle'
'Enter The Coven'
'Evil Beasts Below'
'Strat Outa Hell'
'White Knuckle Mayhem'
'The End Approaches'
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ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian says that when he stated in a recent interview that "nothing would make [him] happier" than to see the entire music industry collapsing, he wasn't referring to some of the longest-running independent labels who have supported underground metal music for the past three decades.

Speaking to Australia's Loud magazine, Ian was asked for his take on the future of the music industry. "I don't even know — I don't care; I have no idea," he replied. "I really don't give a shit about the industry. If anything, nothing would make me happier than… other than some of the good people who actually have jobs that would be hurting if they lost their gigs. But as far as I'm concerned, I can only hope that the whole industry collapses and has to start over, or figure out something else, because I really have nothing good to say about the record industry."

He continued: "When you think about the billions and billions of dollars that labels ripped off from bands from the 1940s all the way through to the 1990s, and now they complain about nobody buys records anymore. Well, whose fault is that, you know? These companies, corporations and individuals literally stole billions of dollars and you've got artists, bands who no longer exist and are literally like, a step away from being homeless, or living in assisted-living places, whatever it is. But you don't see most musicians retiring and living out the rest of their lives because they got some millions and millions of dollars' cash settlement, just to leave a record label. The whole fucking thing is insanity, the way record labels were run. Especially in the '40s, '50s, '60s and '70s when bands were really getting ripped off."

In series of tweets last night (Friday, January 25), Ian elaborated on his comments, writing: "Just to clarify what I said about the music industry collapsing in an interview recently… I'm not talking about independent labels like Megaforce, Nuclear Blast, Metal Blade, etc. etc. These labels have changed the business and have found models that work and they are not only fair to the bands they sign, they actually will work at developing a band the way it used to be done when we first started. The majors are no place for rock/metal anymore and if you're a huge band, you're better off doing it yourself. That's the point I was making."

Swedish rockers PSYCHOPUNCH will release their new album Smakk Valley on February 25th in Europe via SPV/Steamhammer.
Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Back Of My Car’
‘So Jaded’
‘Last Night’
‘Kick In The Head’
‘Sitting By The Railroad’
‘My Empty Head’
‘All I Wanna Say’
‘I Will Never Ever’
‘Dead By Dawn’
‘Smakk Valley Train’
‘Emelie’
‘Down On My Dreams’
‘Everybody Wants An Answer’
‘You’re Totally Mistaken’
The band has also announced that guitarist Joey has left the group. Bass player Lindell will be filling in for him. The band has also welcomed Walle to the band. He will be playing second guitar and bass.

The new lineup can be seen below:
Psychopunch will be heading out on tour this April with THE NEW BLACK, MOTORJESUS, '77 and SUPERCHARGER on the Rock N' Roll Overdose tour through Germany.

Dates can be seen below:

April
12 – Losheim, Germany - Eisenbahnhalle
13 – Bochum, Germany - Matrix
17 – Berlin, Germany - C-Club
18 – Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
20 – Nürnberg, Germany - Rockfabrik
26 – Memmingen, Germany - Kaminwerk
27 - Halle (Saale), Germany - Steintor-Varietè

Austria's longest-running death metal band DARKSIDE will be at Shaark Studio in Czech Republic between February 15 and February 28 recording bass, guitar and vocals for their upcoming sixth full-length album, "Inferno". Since the lenghth of the effort exceeds the playing time of a regular CD, "Inferno" will be released as a double album.

Comments DARKSIDE vocalist Wolf: "We have quite a retro vibe on this album, without explicitly going for it from the start, the same like a lot of things for this album came together on coincidences. So having our recording roots in Czech Republic, we thought it would be a cool thing to record parts of our album back there where everything started over 20 years ago. It was in Bzenec, where the studio is situated, where DARKSIDE played four times the Attack Of Fire festival, more often than any other band without being a Czech band. It was in this part of Czech Republic that KRABATHOR came from, the band we played well over 70 shows together in the first years of DARKSIDE's existence. We know the guys from the Shaark Studio, them being part of the band SHAARK, a classic thrash outfit from this area, part of them playing in MASTER these days. Putting all these things together with the fact, that we have this retro feeling on some songs of the new album, which means that there are songs that reflect the first albums of DARKSIDE a bit, it was a logical step to go back to where it all started.

"Inferno" will feature 14 songs and five instrumentals. All drum tracks on the new CD were laid down by Alessandro Vagnoni, a renowned Italian musician who has previously played with INFERNAL POETRY, DARK LUNACY and RESURRECTURIS. Alessandro recorded the drum tracks in Italy during December 2012. DARKSIDE has also announced the addition of Jaroslav Lukac, guitarist for bands as XXXX, RECODE THE SUBLIMINAL and FAUSTINUS. Jaro will provide leads for most of the songs.

Said Wolf: "I know Alessandro for quite some years now and I knew he was the right man to give this album the extra push it needed in terms of groove, skills and rhythm. I am very glad he took this responsibility and I must say he did an excellent job, Alessandro, you rock!

"Jaro was actually a suggestion from our graphics designer, Kewin Miceli. We were talking about a few things with Kewin and he suggested to ask Jaro about that, who agreed on stepping in and being a part of this project."

Otto Jezek, classical guitar player and teacher, will provide classical guitars to a song called "Madeleine", an instrumental track, which describes the main character of the album, but there is, of course, more to it.

Comments Wolf: "Otto was actually the guitarist of my very first metal band called METAL DAZE back in 1983. I think we didn't speak with each other for eons when I had the idea for that instrumental track that should describe the character of Madeleine, her passion, her belief, but also her doubts and fears and the impact the abuse was leaving on her. I contacted Otto and he agreed and judging by the first demos he sent me I can only say, it was the right choice!"

"Madeleine" is also going to feature a second guitarist from DARKSIDE's hometown, Wiener Neustadt, namely Alexander Kodnar, guitarist for Austria's uprising new force in metal DEVASTATING ENEMY.

Said Wolf: "I always wanted to have this kind of shred guitar wizzardish solo on some DARKSIDE album and so my mind was swaying around, who to choose for this endaevour and often, you don't need to search far away, 'cause the good stuff is right at hand, haha… I contacted Alex and asked him to join us on that track and he agreed, which I feel pretty lucky about. Funny enough, I went to kindergarten with his father back in the days, haha. Alex has sent me some demos of what he conceived for 'Madeleine' and it blew me away in the way he figured out exactly what I was looking for."

DARKSIDE can confirm one more prestigious collaboration. On "Sacrificial Blessings", a member of one of the most influential European death metal bands, PESTILENCE, has provided a lead guitar track. Patrick Mameli has laid down a solo that sounds very "pestilent" but being a perfect part of the song itself fitting in perfectly in terms of mood and composition.

Said Wolf: "This is something very special to us indeed. When we started out with DARKSIDE in 1991, we were influenced by bands such as VOIVOD, SLAYER, PARADISE LOST and PESTILENCE as well as ASPHYX, NOCTURNUS and MORBID ANGEL. Listening to 'Sacrificial Blessings' for some days, I had the impression that it had some PESTILENCE-sounding chords and melodies in it, so I gave it a try and asked Patrick if he would go for it, and luckily enough for us, he agreed. He recorded his lead during the last days of December last year and I just say — this really kills!!!"

Rotterdam, The Netherlands avant-garde metallers ADEIA has announced that they have signed with Layered Reality Productions.

The band’s 2012 debut album entitled Hourglass, will be re-released through Layered Reality Productions sometime in the coming months.

According to a press release: “This album can be described as an intense musical ride that takes the listener from quiet classical moments to intense metallic workouts and back again.

Prominent features on this album are of course the violin and cello which offer both the serenity and insanity to this music. However it is the interplay of these instruments with the guitars, bass, drums and keys that makes Adeia a unique experience. Added to this are the multiple vocal styles on offer such as clean vocals, harmonies and grunts that flesh out the already intricately arranged musical pieces.”
Adeia is currently searching for a new vocalist as the former vocalist left the band last year.

Extreme metal veterans SIX FEET UNDER are tentatively scheduled to release their new full-length album, "Unborn", on March 19 via Metal Blade Records. The follow-to to 2012's "Undead" was mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with SUICIDE SILENCE, ALL THAT REMAINS, SHADOWS FALL and SOULFLY, among others. The cover artwork for the CD can be found below.

A two-camera mix of SIX FEET UNDER's June 23, 2012 performance at Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California can be seen below.

SIX FEET UNDER in May 2012 announced the addition of Swedish rhythm guitarist Ola Englund (FEARED, SCARPOINT) to the group's ranks. Englund, who made his first official appearance with the band on the "18 Nights Of Blood Tour", took the place of Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA).

"Undead" was released on May 22, 2012 through Metal Blade Records. The 12-track CD was produced by Mark Lewis (DEICIDE, DEVILDRIVER) and mixed by Jason Suecof (WHITECHAPEL, JOB FOR A COWBOY), at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

SIX FEET UNDER last year parted ways with bassist Matt DeVries and replaced him with Jeff Hughell, formerly of the Santa Cruz, California technical death metal band BRAIN DRILL and Concord, California death metal group VILE, and currently of RECIPROCAL.

Croatia-based thrashcore metal band BAD BLOOD have released the new video for the track ‘Freedumb State Of Mind’.

The track features PRO-PAIN vocalist Gary Meskil.

The video was shot in Zagreb by Igor “Meister” Malecic and Igor Raguz. It was directed and edited by Malecic, via Meisterwerk Productions. Check it out below:
‘Freedumb State Of Mind’ comes off the band's new album Silence = Death, which will be release in late February.
Silence = Death tracklisting is as follows:

‘Freedumb State Of Mind’
‘Predators’
‘Enough’
‘Mirror Broken’
‘Urban Genocide’
‘Gratitude’
‘Sins Of Our Fathers’
‘Cowards Not Men’

Fan-filmed video footage of DOWN's entire January 18 performance at The Grove Of Anaheim in Anaheim, California can be seen at this location. A couple of the clips are available below.

DOWN's new EP, "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP", sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Down IV Part I - The Purple EP", DOWN's first in a series of four EPs to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs), each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound, came out on September 18, 2012

"Down IV Part I - The Purple EP" heralds the sound of DOWN going back to its roots, with influences from BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL.

Lyrically, the EP goes beyond just personal experiences, and explores themes that include the faith of mankind, the imperfection of mankind and cultural belief systems.

"DOWN gives me the platform to be poetic and paint imagery with lyrics," said vocalist Philip Anselmo. "That's the approach I took. They complement the music and create an ominous feeling. Ultimately, when people consume the words, it's always their interpretation that matters. I could be image-conscious though when I wrote. It's not so gut level or street. The darker shit is some of my favorite."

Professional wrestling legend and reality TV star Hulk Hogan has shot down the rumor that he once auditioned for METALLICA, saying that he never heard from the band after he inquired about joining them as their new bass player.

In a January 2012 interview with The Sun, Hulk Hogan said, "I used to be a session musician before I was a wrestler. I played bass guitar. I was big pals with Lars Ulrich and he asked me if I wanted to play bass with METALLICA in their early days but it didn't work out."

Three months later, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked during an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" if there was any truth to Hogan's claim. "You know what?! I'm blessed or cursed, depending on how you look at it, with having more or less a photographic memory for pretty much anything that I've been a part of," Lars replied. "That one, when that showed up two or three months ago, I was scratching my head over that one. Unless he went by… I don't know Hulk Hogan, I don't know enough about him… I'm not a huge wrestling [fan]… Unless he went by, like, his Christian name or something, and I don't know if anybody knows what his Christian name was — Dave Smith or something — if there was a whole thing that we had with him under a different name, but I certainly have no recollection of doing anything with quote Hulk Hogan endquote. That one, I was scratching my

In a brand new interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine (see video below), Hulk was once again asked about the rumor that Lars once asked him if he wanted to join METALLICA as the band's bass player. He replied: "That rumor has been turned and twisted and thrown in so many different directions — that I auditioned and that I lied and that I never auditioned and they weren't interested. The truth is I played music for many years before I ever got into wrestling, and when I heard METALLICA was looking for a bass player, I would have quit wrestling like that [snaps fingers] to get into METALLICA … When I heard they were looking for a bass player, I got my tapes together from the old band, got a couple of tapes together that Simon Cowell produced with me — GREEN JELLY, and I did an old Gary Glitter song, 'Leader Of The Gang', with Simon, back in the day, before he got his break with all the wrestling music and became a huge monster. But I got all that stuff together to send it to METALLICA and never heard a word. So they never responded to me. They either thought I was a joke or they thought it was a joke, and it wasn't me, or I was no good, but I never heard back from them … I tried — but I never did audition for METALLICA. I wish I would have. But the bass player they got was so good. My God!"

METALLICA changed bass players twice in their recording history: first in 1986 when Cliff Burton died and was replaced by Jason Newsted, then in 2001 when Newsted quit and Robert Trujillo took over two years later.

Hogan took up the bass when he was younger and played high schools and frat parties in various bands.

The Ajna Offensive have released HEAD OF THE DEMON's self-titled debut album. A track from the release, 'Phantasmagoria', can now be streamed below:
A mysterious Swedish entity comprising nameless members from known bands, Head Of The Demon's Head Of The Demon debut is a sepulchral, doom-laden slab of occult black/death metal that's Lovecraftian in intent and aims for the abyss.

H.P. Lovecraft is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for those who play metal, and tributes to the great visionary of Providence have been countless. Head Of The Demon are ones who have seen the faces of the Great Old Ones, yet all but eschew the usual clichés based upon tentacles and unspeakable horrors. Their occult black/death metal is hypnotic and honed, played mainly on the rawness of riffs and chants that are repeated cyclically. Psychedelic vertigo is assured, and with it the stimulation of perceptions that open windows to mysterious parallel dimensions. The voice sounds like that of Tom Warrior mentally dissociated under acid, while the guitars constantly seek ways of expressive, original, yet oblique metal without foresaking metal altogether. The long ramblings of 'Phantasmagoria' and 'They Lie In Wait - Riding The Waste' creep ominously between proto-doom BLACK SABBATH-ian realms and the atmosphere of MORTUARY DRAPE’s cenotaph, never fully enjoying one or the other. The key, however, is the ancient and mysterious sound of an organ, which gives additional character to such ritualistic music, making the result extremely gruesome. Head Of The Demon realize that in order to see the true horror and the unfathomable depths narrated by Lovecraft, you do not need to travel to the edge of the cosmos: just look in our own head... in the demon's head.

Head Of The Demon tracklisting:

'By Titan Hand'
'The Lie In Wait - Riding The Waste'
'Phantasmagoria'
'The Man From Foreign Land'
'The Key'
'Fifth House Of The Mausoleum'
'Wraith From The Unknown'
More on Head Of The Demon at this location.

Texas progressive instrumentalists SCALE THE SUMMIT have revealed guitarist Chris Letchford's Signature Strandberg BODEN CL7 guitar. The production-series guitar was designed to Letchford's exact specifications and is currently available for sale through Strandbergguitars.com.

Letchford will promote the guitar by making several appearances at the upcoming NAMM festival, including signings at the Strandberg, Jackson and EMG Pickups booths - the latter of which will also feature bassist Mark Michell, who will be promoting the release of his new instructional book for right-hand bass techniques.
In other Scale The Summit news, the group recently finished recording their upcoming release, The Migration, with producer Jamie King (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, HE IS LEGEND, FOR TODAY) at Basement Studios in Winston-Salem, N.C. The album, tentatively set for a late spring/early summer release, will be the band's third album through Prosthetic and the follow-up to their 2011 release, The Collective.

Over the past four years, Scale The Summit has toured alongside some of progressive metal's top acts, including DREAM THEATER, PERIPHERY, THE CONTORTIONIST, PROTEST THE HERO, CYNIC, DEVIN TOWNSEND and BTBAM. Look for spring/summer tour information to be announced in the coming weeks.

Catch the band at NAMM on one of the dates below:

January
25 - EMG Booth - 2 PM (Chris Letchford)
25 - EMG Booth - 4 PM (Mark Michell)
25 - Jackson Artist Booth - 4 PM (Chris Letchford)
26 - Strandberg Artist Booth - 2 PM (Chris Letchford)

More on Scale The Summit at this location.

Texas-based BLACK TORA, who are managed by Red Rocket Entertainment (LAZARUS A.D., WHITE WIZZARD), have released a new EP entitled Raise Your Fists, now available via iTunes here. The album was recorded by Provo Provenzano (SKINLAB) and mastered by guitarist James Murphy (DEATH, OBITUARY).

They have posted a full length stream of the new song 'Wild Child'. Check it out below:
The EP tracklist is as follows:

'Never Enough'
'She Drives Me Crazy'
'Shadows of the Night'
'Raise Your Fists'
'Wild Child'

Check out an EP teaser at the band's debut video 'Never Enough' below:

Brazil-based modern metallers PAINSIDE are showing fans another offering from their upcoming new EP, Build Your Fiction. The new single, 'Reject The Silence', is released today (January 23rd) across all digital providers.
The new track is streaming below:
Painside previously released their single ‘Break The Hive’ for streaming. Check it out below:
‘Break The Hive’ also comes off the band’s Build Your Fiction EP. The new effort was mixed by Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, UNEARTH, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL) from Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, FL.

The band recently released a teaser video for the upcoming material, which can be found below:
Painside lineup:

Guilherme Sevens - Vox
Carlos Saione - Guitars
Leandro Carvalho - Guitars
Thiago Dominogorgoth - Bass
Eduardo Julião - Drums
More on Painside at this location.

German sludge/groove metal act BEISSERT will release their third album, entitled Darkness Devil Death, on March 12th in Europe and April 30th in North America via Agonia Records.

Darkness Devil Death was recorded and mixed at Kohlekeller Studio by Kristian Kohlmannslehner (BURDEN, CREMATORY, POWERWOLF) and will feature a guest appearance of Thor Sten from Burden.
Tracklisting:

'Thy Chthonic Cathedral'
'DarknessDevilDeath'
'Age Ov Darkness'
'Zorn Der Geister'
'My Path Shall Be Your Wrath'
'Perm Trias'
'I Am The Lore'
'Do What Thou Wilt'
'DXXXV'
'De Profundis Clamavi'
'Die Diamantenen Tore Der Hoelle [Polaris]'

'Zorn Der Geister' is streaming below:
More on Beissert at this location.

Chicago prog-metal masters DIVINITY COMPROMISED have announced that their debut album, A World Torn, will finally be released this coming March.
Featuring in their ranks Lothar Keller (THE SKULL, SACRED DAWN), and Vito Marchese (NOVEMBERS DOOM), Divinity Compromised promises a full-fledged regional attack this spring, bringing their unique soundscape to live shows everywhere.
Check out a teaser video below:
More on Divinity Compromised at this location.

2013 promises to be another busy year for Dutch doom death metal pioneers ASPHYX, as the band continues to promote their latest and possibly most acclaimed album release ever, Deathhammer, with several live shows and high class festival appearances, such as Hellfest (France) and Roadburn (The Netherlands). And Asphyx are also working on a special next release.
Here is a list of all so far announced Asphyx shows for 2013:

January
26 - Zürich, Switzerland) - Mehsuff Winter Fest

March
1 - Wien, Austria) - Escape Metal Corner / 10th Anniversary Party
2 - Dresden, Germany - Skullcrusher
9 - Trier, Germany - Exhaus

April
20 - Tilburg, The Netherlands - Roadburn Festival @ 013

May
4 - Neu Wulmstorf / Hamburg, Germany - Metal Bash Open Air

June
1 - Geiselwind, Germany - Beastival
21 - Clisson, France - Hellfest

July
26 - Bertingen, Germany - Rock Unter Den Eichen Festival

August
31 - Andernach, Germany - Summers End Festival
Drummer and founding member Bob Bagchus comments on the upcoming plans as follows: “Almost a year after the release of Deathhammer it's time for a new goal! This time it will be a special split EP, for which we will contribute an own new song as well as one or two cover tracks. More details will be revealed soon! As far as our upcoming live shows, the one at Roadburn festival will be quite special…Asphyx is deeply honoured to play at that outstanding event and we will perform a special doom-set, which will include the heaviest tracks we have in our discography! Look out…”

Aspyx' video clip for the album’s title track 'Deathhammer', shot by Maurice Swinkels / Younique Film (EXODUS, MASTERPLAN, KATAKLYSM), can be viewed below:

"After The Leaves Have Fallen", the new video from REVERENCE, the power metal band featuring vocalist Todd Michael Hall (JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR, HARLET), guitarist Bryan Holland (TOKYO BLADE, ARREST), drummer Steve "Dr. Killdrums" Wacholz (SAVATAGE, CRIMSON GLORY), bassist Ned Meloni and lead guitarist Pete Rossi, can be seen below. The song comes off the group's debut album, "When Darkness Calls", which was released on May 31, 2012 via Razar Ice Records, the band's official web site, iTunes, Amazon and various other music providers. The CD cover artwork was designed by renowned artist Jobert Mello of Sledgehamer Graphix (PRIMAL FEAR, SABATON, HYSTERIA) and can be seen below.

"When Darkness Calls" track listing:

01. When Darkness Calls
02. Bleed For Me
03. Phantom Road
04. Devil In Disguise
05. Too Late
06. Gatekeeper
07. The Price You Pay
08. Monster
09. Revolution Rising
10. After The Leaves Have Fallen
11. Vengeance Is Mine
12. Lost Generation (bonus track)

"When Darkness Calls" features a guest appearance by SANXTION drummer Tony Rossi.

For more information, visit www.ReverenceMetal.com.

Nicko McBrain (IRON MAIDEN), Charlie Benante (ANTHRAX), Dave Lombardo (SLAYER), Ray Luzier (KORN), Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, DREAM THEATER) are among the drummers who took part in the Bonzo Bash NAMM Jamm 2013, the ultimate tribute to late LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham, which took over Anaheim, California on Thursday, January 24 at the Observatory. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Bonzo Bash founder and S.U.N. guitarist Brian Thomas Tichy (formerly of WHITESNAKE) recently said, "Bonzo Bash is a drummer's playground. There's plenty of toys and our parents taught us to play well with others.

"It is a relatively simple concept. When I first thought of this, the idea seemed too cool NOT to try. You get a John Bonham replica drum kit (courtesy of Natal Drums) complete with Paiste gong and tympani, up front, center stage, and have each drummer perform their favorite LED ZEPPELIN song with a house band (THE MOBY DICKS).

"It's such a unique night, seeing how all these great drummers approach the same drum set making it their own! And THE MOBY DICKS hold their own as a true force to be reckoned with! There is structure, and within the structure, there is freedom; freedom, groove, and volume! The combination makes the pace and vibe of this show like a backyard party right next to an annual wildebeest river crossing! John Bonham deserves it! His right foot alone deserves it!! Bonzo Bashes are always the ultimate Bonzo tribute show and that's the fact, Jack!"

Video footage of former KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch performing a snippet of the KORN classic "Blind" with KORN drummer Ray Luzier, guitarist George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB, T&N) and bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show in Anaheim, California can be seen below.

KORN will reunite with Welch for several festival shows this summer, including two dates in Germany, one concert in the United Kingdom and at the upcoming Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

Welch joined KORN onstage for the song "Blind" last May at the Carolina Rebellion festival in Rockingham, North Carolina, marking the first time in eight years that KORN played with Welch.

Welch, who has just released an album with his new band LOVE & DEATH, is looking forward to performing full shows with his former bandmates for the first time since 2004.

Welch left KORN in 2005 to become a born-again Christian. The band never officially replaced him and stayed a four-piece, although they've used several touring guitarists for live work.

Welch and bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu have said in interviews that a full reunion could be possible one day.

KORN has been touring for much of the past year behind its 10th studio album, "The Path Of Totality", but has also begun work on a new set of material.

"Until The End", the new video from York, England-based metallers WITH ONE LAST BREATH, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new EP, "Wake The Dead", which will be released on February 25 via Small Town Records. The CD is described in a press release as "something of a reworking of familiar songs."

Commented WITH ONE LAST BREATH frontman Sam Graves: "With this video, we are going to be revealing a hell of a lot more than just a three-minute performance. This is the improved lineup performing what we consider to be the sound we have been looking for a long time.

"This video is intentionally performance-based rather than story line, unlike the last video 'After The Suffering'. We just want people to get a feel of the energy they will witness live from us in 2013.

"The song 'Until The End' is representing a re-release of old material that we have taken into the studio, cut up and pieced together with a sound that we really want to drive into the heads of everyone this year and we felt that this song is what is going to catch people quickly. We like choruses and we like driven shouting parts, so with that in mind, we feel we have created something special for the EP that follows the video.

"Keep your eyes peeled for the 25th February... You'll be surprised what we have done to these songs."

WITH ONE LAST BREATH recently parted ways with vocalist Spencer Costello. Graves, who was previously handling guitar as well as vocals, has now stepped up as the band's new "singer/screamer." The group has also recruited a new guitarist, Alex Scott.

"Wake The Dead" track listing:

01. Down The Darkest Road
02. I'm Taking Over
03. Burn Out The Flame
04. I Taste The Poison
05. Wake The Dead
06. Until The End

A lyric video for the song "I'm Taking Over" can be seen below.

British band ARENA will release their new DVD entitled Rapture on March 25th in Europe via Metal Mind Productions and April 9th in USA (via MVD).

Rapture was recorded in 2011, when Arena visited Poland as part of the tour promoting their new release The Seventh Degree Of Separation. The album opened a new chapter in the history of the band led since 1995 by two acclaimed musicians: Clive Nolan (PENDRAGON, CAAMORA, SHADOWLAND) and Mick Pointer (ex-MARILLION). The new material was recorded with a new singer, Paul Manzi (OLIVER WAKEMAN BAND), the bassist John Jowitt, who returned to the band’s line-up after a several year break, and the guitarist John Mitchell.

The band has now released the cover artwork and tracklisting for the DVD. Check it out below:
‘The Great Escape’
‘Crack In The Ice’
‘Don’t Forget To Breathe’
‘City Of Lanterns’
‘What If?’
‘One Last Au Revoir’
‘Burning Down’
‘Serenity’
‘Valley Of The Kings’
‘Crying For Help Iv’
‘The Eyes Of Lara Moon’
‘Ghost In The Firewall’
‘Rapture’
‘The Ghost Walks’
‘Bedlam Fayre’
‘The Tinder Box’
‘The Visitor’
‘Solomon’
‘Crying For Help VII’
‘Ascension’

The DVD also features an interview with Mick Pointer and Clive Nolan, additional Live in Warsaw, 2011 footage, photo gallery, discography information, and desktop images.

BELIEVE, one of the most interesting and original bands on the Polish art/prog-rock scene, return with a brand new album. Their fifth studio album, entitled The Warmest Sun In Winter, is set to be released on April 22nd in Europe and May 7th in North America (via MVD).

“Believe’s new album tells the story of a chance meeting of two friends who used to spend a lot of time together in their childhood. Since then, everything has changed – one of the friends has lost his home. And now they sit together and talk about everything that happened in their life. All memories from the past are still alive… The album 'The Warmest Sun in Winter' will tells the story of how much sun a man can bring into someone else’s life, despite various troubles in life,” explains Karol Wróblewski.

The new material was recorded in Mirek Gil’s studio with the following lineup:

Karol Wróblewski – vocals
Mirek Gil – guitars
Konrad Wantrych – keyboards, vocals
Przemas Zawadzki – bass guitar
Vlodi Tafel – drums
Satomi – violin

The album will include eight new tracks, including 'Words', 'Behind The River', and 'The Bright Day", just to name a few. It will also include 'Please Go Home', a song written in memory of Robert Roszak, Polish journalist and a friend of the band.

Further details to follow. More on Believe at this location.

Norwegian/Italian metallers TRISTANIA have tapped Christer André Cederberg (pictured below) to produce their seventh full-length album for a late May release via Austria's Napalm Records.

Says TRISTANIA singer Kjetil Nordhus: "This was agreed a while ago, and we started the working together already at the pre-production stage.

"We already know this will be fruitful and we're extremely eager to show people the finished article. It feels good to share this piece of news with our fans."

TRISTANIA fans may be familiar with Cederberg's work through his most recent collaboration with ANATHEMA on their award-winning album "Weather Systems" (2012).

Also a guitarist, Cederberg started his metal career with Norwegian avant garde extreme metal band IN THE WOODS… in the late 1990s, and has been involved in numerous bands and projects, including his own solo project STILLE OPPRØR and internationally acclaimed ANIMAL ALPHA.

Christer André says that he's been eager to work with TRISTANIA for a while and is excited about getting involved in the band's latest recording.

"There is a huge amount of talent within each and every band member, and a number of possible variations to work on, not least vocally, which makes this a great challenge for me as a producer," he says. "My aim for the forthcoming album is to dig out the potential, make a heavier album than the previous one, more organic, detailed and refined, but also dirtier and more extreme. TRISTANIA is a band that manage to do all this live, and we will be working together to recreate that energy and quality also on record."

The first part of the recording sessions (drums) for the new TRISTANIA album took place at Tanken Studio in Oslo with engineer Fredrik Wallumrød.

TRISTANIA's sixth album, "Rubicon", was released in August 2010 via Napalm.

TRISTANIA in 2007 announced the addition of Italian singer Mariangela "Mary" Demurtas to the group's ranks. Guitarist Gyri Losnegård was added to the lineup in 2008.

The band's previous CD, "Illumination", was released in January 2007 via SPV. The effort was recorded at Woodhouse Studios in Hagen, Germany with producer Waldemar Sorychta (LACUNA COIL, TIAMAT, GRIP INC.).

"Year Of The Rat" video:

Original BLACK FLAG members Keith Morris, Chuck Dukowski and Bill Stevenson, along with guitarist Stephen Egerton (who played with Bill Stevenson in DESCENDENTS and ALL), spurred by crowd reaction to a surprise set at Goldenvoice's 30th anniversary show in 2011, have formed FLAG as a vehicle to continue performing the hardcore progentors' repertoire. Already scheduled are appearances at Belgium's Groezrock festival and Germany's Monster Bash this April, with full U.S. tour dates to follow throughout the year.

The members of the quartet have maintained a steadfast relationship to the music they helped pioneer. Keith Morris, who served as BLACK FLAG's original vocalist, followed his tenure in the group by forming the hugely influential CIRCLE JERKS and more recently OFF! Chuck Dukowski, BLACK FLAG's bassist from 1977-1983, continued on as co-owner of the band's label SST and as bassist in a variety of project including WÜRM, SWA, CHUCK DUKOWSKI SEXTET and BLACK FACE. Bill Stevenson's 1981-1985 stint in BLACK FLAG was concurrent with his tenure in DESCENDENTS (who remain active and are playing this year's Coachella) with virtuosic guitarist Stephen Egerton.

The new outfit will play sets that pull from all eras of BLACK FLAG's history.

Confirmed dates:

Apr. 26 - Monster Bash - Munich, Germany
Apr. 27 - Monster Bash - Berlin, German
Apr. 28 - Groezrock - Meerhout, Belgium
May 24-27 - Punk Rock Bowling - Las Vegas, NV

For more information, visit the FLAG Facebook page.

It was announced earlier today that BLACK FLAG has reformed and will play this year's Hevy Fest, set to take place August 2-4 in Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in Kent. The group's only 2013 appearance in the U.K. will mark the first time in 30 years that the band’s played in the country.

BLACK FLAG's lineup for the show will include singer Ron Reyes, who was a member of the band during 1979-1980 (after Keith Morris but before Dez Cadena) and was featured on the "Jealous Again" EP. He will be joined by guitarist and founder Greg Ginn, with initial reports also suggesting that bassist Chuck Dukowski and drummer Roberto "Robo" Valverde would be taking part in the taking part in the reunion.

Vocalist Henry Rollins joined BLACK FLAG in 1981 and left five years later. He has since released several music albums and established himself as a spoken-word artist and book author.

Photo below courtesy of FLAG Facebook page (photo credit: Kevin Scanlon)

"Lies", the new video from the Los Angeles-based rock band MARK KNIGHT AND THE UNSUNG HEROES, can be seen below. The track is the first single from the group's new studio album, "Road Sick Eyes", which is set for release in the spring.

"Lies" was directed by Drew Fortier and includes footage shot during MARK KNIGHT AND THE UNSUNG HEROES' recent mini-tour of Kentucky, Tennessee and other Southern states. The video also includes scenes of the band recording "Road Sick Eyes" in an L.A. studio.

Guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Mark Knight is an L.A. native who began performing professionally when he was only 16. In 1987, Knight founded the hard rock band BANG TANGO, whose debut album for MCA Records, "Psycho Café", garnered worldwide attention after the video for the single "Someone Like You" was placed into heavy rotation on MTV in 1989.

Members of THE UNSUNG HEROES are guitarist Mark Tremalgia, drummer Tigg Ketler, and bassist Reeve Downes. Ex-BANG TANGO member Tremalgia has collaborated with Knight on many projects, including their stint in the Southern rock-influenced band WORRY BEADS. Ketler is also a former member of BANG TANGO. Reeves is also the bassist for the California-based rock band RHINO BUCKET.

Australia's hottest new extreme metal export THY ART IS MURDER has signed to Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the new U.S. partnership between Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger and former Roadrunner Records A&R chief Monte Conner. The band's second album, "Hate", was recently released in Australia, where it came in at No. 35 on the Top 40 ARIA chart, making it the highest debut of any Aussie death metal band ever.

Nuclear Blast Entertainment will release "Hate" in the U.S. on April 2 and in Europe on April 5. The CD was produced and mixed by Will Putney (SUICIDE SILENCE, BORN OF OSIRIS, FOR TODAY), with artwork created by Brent Elliot White (CARNIFEX, DEATH ANGEL).

"Nuclear Blast has always represented the pinnacle of extreme metal, a last bastion in an ever-evolving industry," commented THY ART IS MURDER guitarist Andy Marsh. "To say we now share a label with the greatest extreme metal bands of all time is ridiculous. It was never a dream, it was impossible. But we've done it. The future will be heavy."

Rising from the unhallowed wastes of Western Sydney, THY ART IS MURDER has carved a trail of bloody mayhem since their inception in 2006. With an acclaimed EP and debut album in "Infinite Death" and "The Adversary" to their name, the band have traversed the highways and autobahns of Australia and Europe on a relentless crusade to destroy every venue and audience they can with like-minded peers in a who's who of heavy metal.

Simply titled "Hate", the band's second full-length is the pointed result of THY ART IS MURDER's growing dissatisfaction with all aspects of modern life — political, religious, social and environmental — everyone is to blame.

Fusing the blasting technicality of metal luminaries THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER with thunderous breakdowns and the intensity born of their nascent hometown scene; the blackened grandeur of BEHEMOTH and the pit-churning groove of Tampa originators MORBID ANGEL and CANNIBAL CORPSE, the furious musical arrangements provide a bloody canvas for vocalist CJ McMahon's outpourings of bile.

No strangers to stoking controversy and criticism, the band have not toned down their art for the sake of palatability and have introduced a morose melodicism into their maelstrom - the rumination before pulling the trigger.

With their best work to date ready to be unleashed on an unsuspecting world, THY ART IS MURDER will once again take to the road to unleash the Hate with one simple message — get in the pit or get out of the way.

THY ART IS MURDER is:

Chris McMahon - Vocals
Tom Brown - Guitar
Andy Marsh - Guitar
Sean Delander - Bass
Lee Stanton - Drums