French progressive metallers GOJIRA have shared "The Chant", the final single to arrive ahead of the release of the band's widely anticipated new album, "Fortitude", due out April 30 via Roadrunner Records. "The Chant" is available today on all streaming platforms with pre-orders for "Fortitude" available at www.gojira-music.com. Furthermore, GOJIRA have also shared a teaser for an official music video for "The Chant" which will arrive on album release day.

The centerpiece of an album-long call to action, "The Chant" is a slow-burning track featuring some of GOJIRA's most melodic material to date. Where past anthems were driven by nuanced dynamics and technical guitar arrangements, "The Chant" is what the GOJIRA members describe as a "healing ritual" emanating primordial warmth, culminating in a harmony-stacked chorus that bridges the gap between ancient hymnals and contemporary rock.

Vocalist / guitarist Joseph Duplantier elaborated on "The Chant" stating: "Let this chant ring in your bones and lift you up."

"The Chant" follows early album singles "Another World", "Born For One Thing", "Into The Storm" and "Amazonia", the latter of which was launched alongside a fundraising initiative to benefit the indigenous owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon.

Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, GOJIRA is curating a charitable campaign featuring an auction of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends, as well as a raffle were fans can donate to be entered for a chance to win a hand customized signature Joseph Duplantier guitar and a hand painted drum head by GOJIRA's Mario Duplantier. Having already raised over $250,000 to date for APIB, new auction listings include a Slash autographed top hat and "Appetite" signature Les Paul guitar, a signed Fender Precision bass from GOJIRA's Jean-Michel Labadie used to record the band's seminal album "From Mars To Sirius", and more, with bidding on the final round of auction items ending April 29 at 3 p.m. PST (11 p.m. GMT). To see the current auction listings, visit propeller.la/gojira. Furthermore, GOJIRA have also launched a limited-edition art print to benefit the APIB, which is available at gojira.lnk.to/poster.

Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA's Ridgewood, Queens, headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), "Fortitude" is a collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world — and then make it happen. The band initially laid the foundation for "Fortitude" last year with the surprise release of the 2020 single "Another World". NPR hailed the track as "an apocalyptic banger," and Stereogum declared, "GOJIRA are one of this century's most important underground metal institutions," while "Fortitude" was voted by fans as the #1 release on Revolver's "Most Anticipated Albums of 2021."

GOJIRA's widely anticipated tour dates supporting DEFTONES have been rescheduled for 2021.

Photo credit: Gabrielle Duplantier

Banger Films has released the third episode from "Heavy Metal Hitchhiker", the original comedy web series produced by its digital division BangerTV.

The eight-episode series is directed and co-written by Marc Ricciardelli ("Shredders Of Metal", "Protest The Hero: Of Our Own Volition") and stars comedian Garrett Jamieson and is soundtracked by music from POWER TRIP, CARCASS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, EARTHLESS and POSSESSED, as well as a slew of Canadian artists such as EXCITER, KEN MODE, PROTEST THE HERO, CANCER BATS, MOUNT CYANIDE, SARIN and SMOULDER.

This action-packed comedy series follows a day in the life of Mitch, a heavy metal-loving gas station attendant, who stumbles upon an abandoned guitar that belongs to his favourite band, RÄGR. In a moment of happenstance, Mitch realizes that he must follow in his father's roadie-shaped footsteps and return the six-stringed axe to the band in time for their headlining concert. Without money or wheels, Mitch's only option is to hitchhike. He's got 10 hours to travel 247 kilometers to fulfill his destiny.

"Heavy Metal Hitchhiker"'s executive producer is Sam Dunn, co-founder of Banger Films, an award-winning filmmaker and a global ambassador for the heavy metal community.

"This is a new chapter for BangerTV. Metalheads are going to be blown away by this series," explained Dunn. "It's jam packed with laughs and killer tunes from some amazing bands. I'm super proud of this series. It isn't just for metalheads, I think everyone will enjoy it."

"The Heavy Metal Hitchhiker" digital series is produced by Banger Films with the support of the Bell Fund.

Banger Films is a fully integrated production company creating feature documentaries, TV series, live concerts, kids programming and digital. Founded by Scot McFadyen and Dunn in 2004 with the groundbreaking documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey", its signature productions include the Peabody Award and International Emmy Award-winning series "Hip-Hop Evolution", the Grammy-nominated doc "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" and "Metal Evolution", the biggest television series ever made about the history of heavy metal.

BangerTV is the world's fastest-growing digital channel for heavy metal music and culture. With over 40 million channel views, it's where headbangers gather to watch the best original documentaries, interviews and reviews made by metal fans, for metal fans. Since launching in September 2015 as a YouTube channel, it has reached more than 310,000 subscribers and has become the go-to destination for the international metal community.

In a new interview with the "Real Music With Gary Stuckey" podcast, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked about the band's secret to longevity. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think there's a couple of things. One, I think [fans] look to Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist] as their hero, their leader. And Dave's a fighter, and he's a survivor. I mean, look — he's gone through being fired [from METALLICA], kicked out, kicked down. He just went through cancer. The guy, he's a tireless warrior, and I think that's a big part of the MEGADETH story. And that's worldwide; that's global. And then, behind that, of course, there's this brotherhood between me and him that, as much as Dave's the fighter — Dave's the fighting one, and I'm the friendly one. So there's a chemistry there that people like. They're, like, 'Okay, as long as Ellefson's in the room, we feel safe.' So there's a dynamic that works. And I think, look, musically, the material's always been exceptionally well done, well played. These songs have stood the test of time, so they fall in the 'timeless' category. And there's been a consistency; the MEGADETH style has been very consistent over the years. And I think those are kind of the four components — four or five components — that make it work."

Ellefson was in MEGADETH from the band's inception in 1983 to 2002, when the group briefly broke up because Mustaine suffered severe nerve damage that left him unable to play.

Mustaine reformed MEGADETH 17 years ago. Originally setting out to record a solo album, Mustaine enlisted studio musicians to play on what ultimately became MEGADETH's 2004 "The System Has Failed" comeback album, subsequently recruiting former ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough to take Ellefeson's place for the album's touring cycle.

In 2004, Ellefson filed an $18.5-million lawsuit against Mustaine, alleging the frontman shortchanged him on profits and backed out of a deal to turn Megadeth Inc. over to him when the band broke up in 2002. The lawsuit was eventually dismissed and Ellefson rejoined MEGADETH in 2010.

In his first memoir, "My Life With Deth", Ellefson admitted that he became a salaried employee upon his return to MEGADETH 11 years ago.

In addition to Mustaine and Ellefson, MEGADETH's current lineup includes former SOILWORK drummer Dirk Verbeuren and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with ANGRA.

MEGADETH's latest album, "Dystopia", was released in January 2016.

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's Candice Night and Ritchie Blackmore are featured in a new three-part interview series in which they talk about their new album "Nature's Light". The second part can be seen below.

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's eleventh studio album and the first in six years, "Nature's Light" was released on March 12 via earMUSIC.

The ten new tracks make for a quintessential BLACKMORE'S NIGHT album. Once again, Blackmore and Night successfully mix the tradition of folk music and their love for the Renaissance era, inspired by the myths and legends of ancient times.

While the album is rooted in a traditional approach, fans of Ritchie Blackmore's unique style will not be disappointed. Heartfelt ballads, such as a brand-new version of "Wish You Were Here", set the scene for the magical tales on "Four Winds" and "The Twisted Oak". On the two instrumental tracks — "Darker Shade Of Black" and "Der letzte Musketier" — Ritchie's guitar brilliance shines through.

"Nature's Light" was released on multiple formats. Among these is a strictly limited 2CD hardcover mediabook edition, including a bonus CD featuring a carefully selected set of BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's masterpieces from their extensive back catalogue. Furthermore, the album has become available as a CD digipak edition, a strictly limited heavyweight 1LP gatefold edition on yellow vinyl, a 180g 1LP gatefold edition on black vinyl as well as digital.

"Nature's Light" track listing:

01. Once Upon December

02. Four Winds

03. Feather In The Wind

04. Darker Shade Of Black (instrumental)

05. The Twisted Oak

06. Nature's Light

07. Der Letzte Musketier (instrumental)

08. Wish You Were Here (2021)

09. Going To The Faire

10. Second Element

Musamaailma, the Finnish retailer, importer and wholesaler of musical instruments, is currently selling gear personally owned and used by the late CHILDREN OF BODOM and BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT co-founder, guitarist and frontman Alexi Laiho, who passed away in December 2020.

Musamaailma is selling these items as an assignment by the Alexi Laiho estate, through an offer-based auction that ends May 2, 2021.

The auction and more information on the items with descriptions and images can be found at Musamaailma's site.

Laiho inspired millions of people around the world with his music and his guitar playing skills. He was undeniably one of the most influential metal guitarists of his generation and has left a lasting impact that will live on through his music. Thanks to Alexi, countless people young and old have started playing guitar. Alexi's signature guitars and his signature tone are some of the most sought-after things by metal guitarists worldwide. This is a unique chance to acquire his gear to achieve exactly the same tone Alexi used live and in the studio.

Musamaailma cooperated with Alexi since he was an up-and-coming guitarist. CEO Kai Saarikko states: "We supported him through the years and became friends. After his untimely passing, Alexi's estate contacted us, and due to our long history with Alexi, we are now handling the sale on their behalf." The sale has already gained interest around the world, with offers coming in from South America, Asia and North America. The sale has also been reported by MTV3, one of the largest domestic TV channels in Finland, as well as Soundi, one of the largest Finnish popular music magazines.

Current auction prices:

1. #1 Touring Rig: 10 000 €

2. Spare Touring Amp: 3500 €

3. "Studio" Amp: 5000 €

4. JCM800 KK Amp: 4000 €

5. Blackstar S200 Amp: 1200 €

BODOM AFTER MIDNIGHT has just released an EP, "Paint The Sky With Blood", via Napalm Records. The effort was recorded in Finland back in 2020 and was meant to be the beginning of an exciting new chapter. Sadly, that chapter ended far too soon with the passing of Laiho.

Alexi and drummer Jaska Raatikainen founded CHILDREN OF BODOM in 1993, and the band was one of the most internationally acclaimed metal acts in Finland up until their very last farewell concert in December of 2019.

Besides CHILDREN OF BODOM, Laiho had played in such acts as WARMEN, SINERGY, KYLÄHULLUT and THE LOCAL BAND. Awarded with a Metal Hammer Golden God and several other international prizes, the guitarist was also the main star, leading a group of one hundred guitar players at the Helsinki Festival in 2015 in "100 Guitars From Hel" — a massive concert piece he composed.

Alexi passed away in his home in Helsinki, Finland. The 41-year-old had suffered from long-term health issues leading up to his death.

Finland's Steve'N'Seagulls have released the video below, performing a stripped down "newgrass" version of the Battle Beast rocker "Eden".

Says the band: "Here´s the Seagulls´Nest version of a awesome song by Battle Beast. We had a great honour to have Noora Louhimo of Battle Beast visit our nest and perform this song, 'Eden'."

"Eden" is taken from the fifth Battle Beast album, No More Hollywood Endings, released on March 22nd, 2019 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Steve'N'Seagulls previously performed a "newgrass" version of Metallica's "Master Of Puppets". Check it out below.




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THE ROLLING STONES' Ronnie Wood has revealed he battled cancer for a second time during lockdown.

Speaking exclusively to The Sun, the 73-year-old guitarist said: "I've had cancer two different ways now. I had lung cancer in 2017, and I had small-cell more recently that I fought in the last lockdown."

Small cell is a disease in which the malignant cells are most often found in the lung. However, it can occasionally arise in other areas such as the prostate, pancreas, and lymph nodes.

Wood confirmed that he was eventually given "the all-clear." He also credited his decade-long sobriety and putting his fate in the hands of "a higher power."

"I'm going through a lot of problems now, but throughout my recovery, you have to let it go," he said. "And when you hand the outcome over to your higher power, that is a magic thing. That brings you back to the [Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous] Serenity Prayer: 'Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change.' That's incredible. What will be will be, it's nothing to do with me. All I can do is stay positive in my attitude, be strong and fight it, and the rest is up to my higher power."

When Wood was diagnosed with lung cancer four years ago, he blamed the diagnosis on smoking, stating he smoked "25 to 30 cigarettes a day for 50-odd years." He underwent a five-hour operation to treat a small lung lesion.

"I was bloody lucky, but then I've always had a very strong guardian angel looking out for me," he stated in a 2017 interview. "By rights I shouldn't be here."

Last year, Eagle Rock Entertainment released an in-depth film biography of Wood, "Somebody Up There Likes Me". The documentary traces Wood's 50-year musical history, from THE BIRDS, THE JEFF BECK GROUP, THE FACES (with Rod Stewart), and THE NEW BARBARIANS, to becoming a permanent member of THE ROLLING STONES.

Ronnie described the film as summing up "the essence of survival" in a life he continues to live to the fullest, without regrets. "I wouldn't change anything except I'd do it with my eyes open a bit more," he said. "I was in the hands of destiny all my life…and being in the right place at the right ti

Legendary German rock producer Michael Wagener is celebrating his 72nd birthday today (Sunday, April 25) by announcing his retirement from the music industry.

Earlier today, Wagener took to his Facebook page to write: "Hello everybody. I have now been active in the music business for over 50 years and I think it’s time to retire and get out and catch up on some vacations.

"I have sold the studio and Double Trouble Productions does no longer exist as an official company.

"I had an amazing time and met a ton of wonderful people and I am thankful for having been able to work with such great musicians and create such wonderful music. Now it's time to see some more of the world.

"This site will eventually disappear. No more mixes, productions and workshops.

"The studio has been sold and except for some guitars, amps and minimal studio gear there is not much left here.

"I want to thank you all for allowing me to live a great life and to do what I love. I am looking at a future of lots of traveling; it has been a great trip so far."

Wagener was the original guitarist for the German band ACCEPT. When he turned 18, he was drafted into the German army and was stationed 350 miles away from home. This made it difficult for him to practice with the rest of the band and hence he quit. After completing his military service, Wagener began working as an audio engineer in Hamburg in 1972. Through a friendship with singer Don Dokken, Wagener moved to Los Angeles. In 1981 he produced the first DOKKEN album and would go on to work on such seminal albums as SKID ROW's self-titled debut, which sold five million copies in the U.S. alone, and OZZY OSBOURNE's "No More Tears", which sold seven million in the U.S. Wagener also mixed METALLICA's classic third album, 1986's "Master Of Puppets".

Photo courtesy of Michael Wagener's Facebook page


Hello everybody.

I have now been active in the music business for over 50 years and I think it’s time to retire and get...

Posted by Michael Wagener on Sunday, April 25, 2021

NIGHTWISH's Floor Jansen says that she is "doing so much better," more than two weeks after undergoing gallbladder removal surgery.

The Dutch-born vocalist, who resides in Sweden with her husband, SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl, revealed her health scare in a social media post on April 14, saying that she "woke up to severe stomach pains" while in Finland rehearsing for NIGHTWISH's upcoming virtual shows. She ended up in a local hospital where "got what you call a gallstone attack. Turned out I had pains because of a huge amount of gallstones, and pancreatitis. I needed my gallbladder removed but because of the pancreatitis they couldn't do it at once. The day after they took a scarred gallbladder out, with 15 stones in it!"

On Friday (April 23), Jansen posted a video update in which she said that she was "doing so much better, recovering really well from the surgery and getting new energy every day."

As for NIGHTWISH's virtual concerts, she said: "I've been getting, of course, a little insight looks on how it's gonna be, and it's something else. So I hope to see you there, at least, in this virtual world that we're creating."

Jansen made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington following the abrupt departure of the band's lead singer of five years, Anette Olzon.

Jansen officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013 and made her recording debut with the group on 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album.

NIGHTWISH's ninth studio album, "Human. :II: Nature." , was released in April 2020 via Nuclear Blast. The effort is a double album containing nine tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chapters on CD 2.

NIGHTWISH's interactive "An Evening with Nightwish In a Virtual World" concert experiences that will kick off the "Human. :II: Nature." world tour have been rescheduled from March to May due to changes in the band's touring schedule. The new dates are Friday, May 28 and Saturday, May 29, 2021.

In January, NIGHTWISH's longtime bassist/vocalist Marko "Marco" Hietala announced his departure from the band.

Hietala issued a statement in which he said he hadn't "been able to feel validated by this life for a quite a few years now."

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson will embark on a U.K. spoken-word tour this summer. "An Evening With Bruce Dickinson" will consist of six dates, beginning in Brighton on August 1 and ending in London on August 10. Tickets go on sale on Thursday, April 29 at 10 a.m.

The dates are:

Aug. 01 - Theatre Royal, Brighton

Aug. 04 - The Lowry, Salford

Aug. 05 - St George’s Hall, Bradford

Aug. 08 - Theatre Royal, Nottingham

Aug. 09 - The Alexandra, Birmingham

Aug. 10 - O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire, London

Dickinson told the New Zealand TV show "The Project" about his speaking tour: "The show I do, basically, it's a one-man show. And it morphed out of being initially promo for [my autobiography 'What Does This Button Do?']. The publisher said, 'We're gonna rent a little theater and you just do some readings,' and I thought, 'Well, that's kind of dull, really.' So, years ago, when I was an undergraduate in college, my then-girlfriend persuaded me to go and see a one-man show by a guy called Quentin Crisp. So I had to be dragged along: 'Oh, who is this guy?' Anyway, it was absolutely brilliant. And one of the things he did in the second half was he took cue cards from the audience who wrote questions down, and he basically came and did almost like an improv thing where he answered the questions. So I thought that would be nice to do. So I sort of constructed this show, as it were, and just winged it. And it was so good, they asked me back to do the Edinburgh [International Book] Festival. And then the next thing after that was I've ended up doing a bunch of them in Scandinavia, and I'm now doing Israel and Greece and more shows in Scandinavia and everything else. So, all of a sudden, I've got myself this little extra gig."

"What Does This Button Do?", landed at No. 10 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. It was released in the U.S. in October 2017 via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

"What Does This Button Do?" is Dickinson's third book. He has previously published two satirical novels, "The Adventures Of Lord Iffy Boatrace" about the English upper classes and "The Missionary Position" about televangelism.

Dickinson joined IRON MAIDEN in 1981, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and made his recording debut with the band on the 1982 album "The Number Of The Beast". He quit the band in 1993, pursuing several solo projects, and rejoined in 1999.

Dickinson, who turned 62 last August, has several other interests beyond music. He is a licensed commercial pilot and owns an aviation company. He has also done some acting and brewed beer.

John Lydon has blasted the upcoming SEX PISTOLS limited series as "disrespectful," insisting that he wasn't approached to take part in the show's production.

"Pistol" is a six-episode series about SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones. It is based on Jones's 2018 memoir "Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol" and it is being helmed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, who serves as executive producer and director.

In an interview with The Sunday Times, the British-born vocalist, who is better known as Johnny Rotten, reacted to recent publicity shots promoting "Pistol". He said (as per NME): "I think that's the most disrespectful shit I've ever had to endure. I mean, they went to the point to hire an actor to play me but what's the actor working on? Certainly not my character. It can't go anywhere else [but court]."

Lydon also claimed that he has never been contacted by Boyle about "Pistol" even though the two had met during preparations for the 2021 London Olympics opening ceremony.

He added: "Sorry, you think you can do this, like walk all over me — it isn't going to happen. Not without a huge, enormous fucking fight. I'm Johnny, you know, and when you interfere with my business, you're going to get the bitter end of my business as a result. It's a disgrace."

A spokesperson for the "Pistol" production told The Sunday Times that Boyle reached out to Lydon's management company about the planned series but "ultimately direct contact was declined."

"Pistol" was created by Craig Pearce and written by Pearce and Frank Cottrell Boyce.

Jones, Boyle and Pearce serve as executive producers alongside Gail Lyon, Anita Camarata, Tracey Seaward, Paul Lee, Hope Hartman and Wiip. The series is produced by FX Productions.

Anchored by Jones's memoir, which offers a fascinating new perspective on one of rock's greatest ever stories, "Pistol" moves from West London's council estates, to Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren's notorious Kings Road SEX shop, to the international controversy that came with the release of "Never Mind The Bollocks", which is frequently listed as one of the most influential albums of all time. Their single "God Save The Queen" was banned by the BBC and reached No. 1 on the U.K.'s NME chart, but appeared at No. 2 on the official U.K. singles chart, leading to accusations that the song was purposely kept off the top spot. For the only time in chart history, the track was listed as a blank, to avoid offence to the monarchy.

"Pistol" stars Toby Wallace ("Babyteeth", "Acute Misfortune") as Steve Jones, Anson Boon ("Crawl", "1917", "Blackbird") as John Lydon, Louis Partridge ("Enola Holmes", "Medici") as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Fabien Frankel ("The Serpent", "NYPD Blue") as Glen Matlock, Dylan Llewellyn ("Derry Girls") as Wally Nightingale, Sydney Chandler ("Don't Worry Darling") as Chrissie Hynde, Emma Appleton ("The Witcher", "Traitors") as Nancy Spungen, and Maisie Williams ("Game Of Thrones") as punk icon Jordan.




Pistol – First Look images released for Danny Boyle's Sex Pistols Limited Series. Details here https://t.co/8wdEaOs7pQ#SexPistols #DannyBoyle #Pistol pic.twitter.com/ByKKNV7sxW

— Phil Edwards (@Live_for_Films) March 3, 2021








Pistol – first look pictures released from Danny Boyle Sex Pistols biopic https://t.co/tmfdszkyRi pic.twitter.com/9XQHUGvfjN

— BetaSeries News (@BetaSeries_News) March 3, 2021

On June 11, Def Leppard will release Def Leppard - Volume Three, a new limited edition box set UMe/Virgin. Pre-order here.

This set marks the third of four volumes of the band’s complete recorded output in both 180gm vinyl and limited-edition CD box sets. They contain all the recordings from the band in the 2000’s and features the original packaging on both formats. To date, X, Yeah! and Songs From The Sparkle Lounge have never been available on vinyl before.

The albums were mastered by Ronan McHugh and Joe Elliott at Joe’s Garage with assistance from Andy Pearce and cut by Greg Moore. Housed in rigid boxes the sets also contain a hard-backed book with rare photos by Ross Halfin and notes by Classic Rock Magazine’s Paul Elliott. Band members Joe Elliott, Rick Savage, Rick Allen and Phil Collen have also contributed to the set.

Def Leppard - Volume Three features 2002’s X, which was the groups sixth consecutive Top 20 record on the Billboard 200 chart and features songs such as “Now,” “Four Letter Word” and “Long Long Way to Go”, 2006’s Yeah!, the band’s first covers album featuring a collection of the groups favorite tracks re-recorded with the iconic Leppard sound, this is the first time this album will be available on vinyl. Also Def Leppard’s tenth studio album Songs From The Sparkle Lounge, released in 2008 the record marked the bands return to their signature sound and hitting the Top 10 both sides of the Atlantic, the album included the hit single “Nine Lives” which featured Grammy Award winning country legend Tim McGraw.

Also included are B-Sides, Yeah! Studio Covers and Yeah! Live. These albums have specially been compiled by Joe Elliott for this limited-edition release. B-Sides contains a rare compilation of B-sides that have never appeared on vinyl before. Yeah! Studio Covers includes some never before released on vinyl covers, Yeah! bonus disc exclusive release tracks and a compilation of the various covers recorded by the band over their career. Yeah! Live is a compilation of live recordings of covers by the band which include both tracks from 2006’s Yeah!, as well as previously unreleased live tracks from the past 30 years.

6-CD Box Set

X
"Now"
"Unbelievable"
"You’re So Beautiful"
"Everyday"
"Long, Long Way to Go"
"Four Letter Word"
"Torn to Shreds"
"Love Don’t Lie"
"Gravity"
"Cry"
"Girl Like You"
"Let Me Be the One"
"Scar"

Yeah!
"20th Century Boy"
"Rock On"
"Hanging on the Telephone"
"Waterloo Sunset"
"Hell Raiser"
"10538 Overture"
"Street Life"
"Drive-In Saturday"
"Little Bit of Love"
"The Golden Age of Rock ‘n’ Roll"
"No Matter What"
"He’s Gonna Step on You Again"
"Don’t Believe A Word"
"Stay with Me"

Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
"Go"
"Nine Lives"
"C’mon C’mon"
"Love"
"Tomorrow"
"Cruise Control"
"Hallucinate"
"Only the Good Die Young"
"Bad Actress"
"Come Undone"
"Gotta Let it Go"

B-Sides
"Now" - (Radio Edit) (B-Side - "Now")
"Long Long Way to Go" (Radio Edit) (B-Side - "Long Way To Go")
"Kiss the Day" (X - Japanese Bonus Track)
"10 X Bigger Than Love" (B-Side - "Long Way to Go")
"Love Don’t Lie" - B-Side - "Now" (Demo)
"Let Me Be the One" - B-Side - "Now" (Demo)
"Gimmie A Job" - B-Side - "Long Long Way to Go"
"Now" - B-Side - "Long Long Way to Go" (Live Acoustic Version)
"Long Long Way to Go" - Limited Edition Bonus Track (Stripped Version)
"Nine Lives" - Joe Only Vocal Version
"Perfect Girl" - Website Exclusive (Phil Collen Demo)
"Love" - Piano Version

Yeah! Studio Covers
"Only After Dark" - B-Side - "Let’s Get Rocked"
"You Can’t Always Get What You Want" - B-Side - "Have You Needed Someone So Bad"
"Little Wing" - B-Side - "Have You Needed Someone So Bad"
"Ziggy Stardust" - B-Side - "Slang"
"Under My Wheels" - B-Side - "Goodbye"
"Who Do You Love?" - B-Side - "Goodbye"
"Rebel Rebel" - B-Side - "Now"
"Led Boots" - B-Side - "All I Want is Everything"
"Cause We Ended as Lovers" - B-Side - "All I Want is Everything"
"Search and Destroy" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"How Does it Feel" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive (iTunes Exclusive)
"Roxanne" - Phil’s Demo (Previously Unreleased)
"Dear Friends" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Winter Song" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"American Girl" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Heartbeat" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Space Oddity" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"When I’m Dead and Gone" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Stay With Me" - B-Side "Now"

Yeah! Live
"Elected" - B-Side "Heaven Is"
"Action" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"No Matter What" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Rock On" - Live 2006
"Travellin’ Band" - Radio Edit (Previously Unreleased)
"Now I’m Here" - B-Side "Tonight"
"20th Century Boy" - 2005 VH1 Rock Awards (Previously Unreleased)
"All The Young Dudes" - Once Bitten Twice Shy Exclusive Track

9-LP Box Set

Disc One - X

Side One
"Now"
"Unbelievable"
"You're So Beautiful"
"Everyday"
"Long Long Way to Go"
"Four Letter Word"
"Torn to Shreds"

Side Two
"Love Don't Lie"
"Gravity"
"Cry"
"Girl Like You"
"Let Me Be the One"
"Scar"

Disc Two & Three - Yeah!

Side One
"20th Century Boy"
"Rock On"
"Hanging on The Telephone"
"Waterloo Sunset"

Side Two
"Hell Raiser"
"10538 Overture"
"Street Life"
"Drive-In Saturday"

Side Three
"Little Bit of Love"
"The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll"
"No Matter What"

Side Four
"He's Gonna Step on You Again"
"Don't Believe A Word"
"Stay with Me"

Disc Four - Songs From The Sparkle Lounge

Side One
"Go"
"Nine Lives"
"C'mon C'mon"
"Love"
"Tomorrow"

Side Two
"Cruise Control"
"Hallucinate"
"Only the Good Die Young"
"Bad Actress"
"Come Undone"
"Gotta Let It Go"

Disc Five & Six - B-Sides

Side One
"Now" - (Radio Edit) (B-Side - "Now")
"Long Long Way to Go" (Radio Edit) (B-Side - "Long Way To Go")
"Kiss the Day" - (X - Japanese Bonus Track)

Side Two
"10 X Bigger Than Love" (B-Side - "Long Way to Go")
"Love Don't Lie" - B-Side "Now" (Demo)
"Let Me Be the One" - B-Side "Now" (Demo)

Side Three
"Gimme A Job" - B-Side - "Long Long Way to Go"
"Now" - B-Side - "Long Long Way to Go" (Live Acoustic Version)
"Long Long Way to Go" - Limited Edition Bonus Track (Stripped Version)

Side Four
"Nine Lives" - Joe Only Vocal Version
"Perfect Girl" - Website Exclusive (Phil Collen Demo)
"Love" - Piano Version

Disc Seven & Eight - Yeah! Studio Covers

Side One
"Only After Dark" - B-Side - "Let’s Get Rocked"
"You Can’t Always Get What You Want" - B-Side "Have You Needed Someone So Bad"
"Little Wing" - B-Side "Have You Needed Someone So Bad"
"Ziggy Stardust" - B-Side - "Slang"

Side Two
"Under My Wheels" - B-Side - "Goodbye"
"Who Do You Love?" - B-Side - "Goodbye"
"Rebel Rebel" - B-Side - "Now"
"Led Boots" - B-Side - "All I Want is Everything"
"Cause We Ended as Lovers" - B-Side - "All I Want is Everything"

Side Three
"Search and Destroy" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"How Does It Feel" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive (iTunes Exclusive)
"Roxanne" - Phil's Demo (Previously Unreleased)
"Dear Friends" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Winter Song" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive

Side Four
"American Girl" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Heartbeat" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Space Oddity" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"When I'm Dead and Gone" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Stay with Me" - B-Side "Now"

Disc Nine - Yeah! Live

Side One
"Elected" - B-Side "Heaven Is"
"Action" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"No Matter What" - Yeah! Bonus Disc Exclusive
"Rock On" - Live 2006

Side Two
"Travellin' Band" - Radio Edit (Previously Unreleased)
"Now I'm Here" - B-Side "Tonight"
"20th Century Boy" - 2005 VH I Rock Awards (Previously Unreleased)
"All the Young Dudes" - Once Bitten Twice Shy Exclusive Track

LP Box Set

LP Set One: X
LP Set Two: Yeah! (2-LP)
LP Set Three: Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
LP Set Four: B-sides (2-LP)
LP Set Five: Yeah! Studio Covers (2-LP)
LP Set Six: Yeah! Live

CD Box Set

Disc One: X
Disc Two: Yeah!
Disc Three: Songs From The Sparkle Lounge
Disc Four: B-sides
Disc Five: Yeah! Studio Covers
Disc Six: Yeah! Live




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Kansas, America’s legendary progressive rock band, will release their new live album, Point Of Know Return Live & Beyond, on May 28. This is the first live album since 2017 for the band that has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide and is famous for classic hits such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust In The Wind", to progressive epics like "Song for America".

Fans can pre-order at kansasband.com. Listen to "The Wall" from the upcoming release, below.

Point Of Know Return Live & Beyond is co-produced by Phil Ehart and Richard Williams, and is recorded and mixed by Chad Singer. The album features 22 songs selected from 12 shows recorded in 2019 and 2020 during Kansas’s Point Of Know Return Anniversary Tour. The setlist includes classic hits, deep cuts, and culminates with the band’s sextuple-platinum album, Point Of Know Return, performed in its entirety.

Following the success of the band’s Leftoverture Anniversary Tour, Kansas followed that tour up with the even more popular Point Of Know Return Anniversary Tour. The overwhelming success of that tour, and the previous live album, Leftoverture Live & Beyond, led the band, along with Inside Out Music, to release selected songs from the tour as a live album.

“We knew we wanted to release a live album of the Point Of Know Return Anniversary Tour. Being unable to tour for more than a year has given us the opportunity to work on Point Of Know Return Live & Beyond and release it for our fans who are missing live concerts as much as we are,” said Kansas drummer and album co-producer, Phil Ehart. “When we discussed who would mix the album, we thought the best possible person would be the guy who mixes the band live every night and recorded the shows on the road. Nobody knows better how Kansas sounds live than our front of house engineer, Chad Singer!”  

“This live album sounds great,” adds Kansas guitarist and album co-producer, Richard Williams. “We wanted to make sure this album captures and represents how Kansas sounds live in concert. Point Of Know Return Live & Beyond does just that.”

Along with original Kansas band members Phil Ehart on drums and Richard Williams on lead guitar, Point Of Know Return Live & Beyond, features Tom Brislin on keyboards and vocals, Billy Greer on bass and vocals, Ronnie Platt on lead vocals and keyboards, David Ragsdale on violin and vocals, and Zak Rizvi on guitar and vocals.

Point Of Know Return Live & Beyond, will be released May 28 via Inside Out Music and is distributed by The Orchard. The album will be available as a double CD digipak, triple 180-gram vinyl + 2 CD box-set, and digitally on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, iTunes, and other fine digital retailers.

Point Of Know Return Live & Beyond tracklisting:

"Cold Grey Morning"
"Two Cents Worth"
"The Wall"
"Song For America"
"Summer"
"Musicatto"
"Taking In The View"
"Miracles Out Of Nowhere"
"Point Of Know Return"
"Paradox"
"The Spider"
"Portrait (He Knew)"
"Closet Chronicles"
"Lightning’s Hand"
"Dust In The Wind"
"Sparks Of The Tempest"
"Nobody’s Home"
"Hopelessly Human"
"Carry On Wayward Son"
"People Of The South Wind"
"Refugee"
"Lonely Wind"

"The Wall":

"Point Of Know Return":

Teaser:

When touring resumes, Kansas will continue rescheduled Point Of Know Return Anniversary Tour dates as well as Kansas Classics tour dates. More information on the tour, including specific Point Of Know Return Anniversary Tour dates, can be found at kansasband.com.




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The fourth single to be taken from the album "The Problem Of Leisure: A Celebration Of Andy Gill And Gang Of Four" is a new interpretation of "In The Ditch" by the American alternative rock band HELMET.

"The Problem Of Leisure" is set for release on June 4. It's a double album of tracks written by Andy Gill and GANG OF FOUR, all newly reinterpreted and recorded by artists whose own unique contributions to music were enriched by listening to GANG OF FOUR. The album features songs from across GANG OF FOUR's 40-plus year career, each individually chosen by the artists who covered them.

Andy Gill was a fan of HELMET from their early days and had hoped to collaborate with them on a future music project. "In The Ditch" is the first new track from HELMET since 2016.

Speaking about HELMET's involvement in "The Problem Of Leisure", band founder Page Hamilton explains: "My old pal Henry Rollins reissued 'Entertainment!' and 'Solid Gold' back in the '90s and asked me to do liner notes for 'Solid Gold'. I don't remember what I wrote, but I know it was glowing, corny and fanboy. Their songs, feel, energy, inventiveness made an indelible imprint on my musical soul. All of our peers that formed bands in the late '80s were influenced by GANG OF FOUR.

"I chose 'In The Ditch' for this tribute 'cause it's a great song even though it was challenging (thank you to my band!). It feels improvised and random at times but holds together as a composition. The guitar part feels like spontaneous scratchy funk, the angular bass and drum groove grooves hard but sounds like there's a spoke missing. The vocal is somehow beautiful but scary, urgent and dangerous.

"There's no room for limp dick, mail-it-in, non-musical moments in any of these songs. How the hell did they put this together? We could only try to capture the intensity of the original.

"This band changed me. Thank you, Andy, Dave, Hugo & Jon."

Andy's widow Catherine Mayer says: "HELMET has recorded a superb version of 'In The Ditch', such a powerful song for these paranoid times.

"Andy and the other members of the original lineup came of age during an era of public information films issued by the U.K. government in case of nuclear attack. Even then, it was clear that the instructions given in these films, such as taking shelter under tables or diving into ditches, were designed not to save lives but to quieten public nerves. It was propaganda, and as such grist to GANG OF FOUR's preoccupations. How eerily relevant the lyrics seem, recalling prepper ideologies and also the claustrophobia of our locked-down world. Of course, I also stumble over the lyrics about 'beyond the cares of the world' and 'six feet under,' things that apply to Andy, metaphorically, if not, in the second case, literally. His ashes are at home with me, high on a shelf where he can observe, with pleasure, preparations for this wonderful album."

After Andy's death in February 2020, Catherine assembled a small team to complete "The Problem Of Leisure". The record had originally been conceived by Andy himself not as a post-mortem tribute, but to mark the 40th anniversary in 2019 of GANG OF FOUR's extraordinary 1979 debut long player "Entertainment!", an album widely heralded as a classic ("the fifth best punk album of all time," according to Rolling Stone magazine).

Andy had already revised that vision in the months before his death, after some artists chose tracks from different albums and periods. Every musician who committed to the project was given the freedom to create new versions of whichever GANG OF FOUR songs they wanted to cover, with Andy overseeing some of the earlier productions but largely leaving artists to create their own interpretations.

When Andy died, obituarists struggled to sum up his profound impact on music. He had co-founded GANG OF FOUR and remained at the time of his death its only original member. As co-writer or writer of all the band's songs and through his unmistakable and much emulated guitar style, Andy influenced generation after generation of musicians, and that effect was amplified by his work as a composer and producer. This album speaks to that impact and influence.

The final 20-track double album features an extraordinary roll call of global talent, with artists from seven different countries and four continents, and demonstrates the breadth and scale of Andy and GANG OF FOUR's influence.

The album's brilliant artwork was created by Damien Hirst, a long-term GANG OF FOUR aficionado. Andy chose the cover art from a selection of options provided by the artist.

The album campaign started with the release of a blistering new version of "Natural's Not In It" by Tom Morello and Serj Tankian on January 8. This was followed by 3D's updated (redux) version of "Where The Nightingale Sings" on February 12, which featured vocals from alt rock duo NOVA TWINS and was co-produced by Robert Del Naja from MASSIVE ATTACK (as 3D) and Andy Gill. WARPAINT's dreamy re-interpretation of "Paralysed", released on March 19, was the third single. Following the HELMET single release on April 21, further singles will be released in May, ahead of the album release in June.

The album is available to pre-order now in a variety of double vinyl, two CD and cassette formats from all usual retail outlets worldwide. The deluxe vinyl format, "Dogluxe", is only available from the GANG OF FOUR web site. All formats feature different versions of the artwork from Damien Hirst. The album will be released on the Gill Music label on June 4 and is distributed by Ingrooves.

"The Problem Of Leisure": CD One

Vinyl One, Side A

01. IDLES - Damaged Goods (UK)

02. TOM MORELLO & SERJ TANKIAN - Natural's Not In It (USA)

03. HELMET - In The Ditch (USA)

04. 3D* X GANG OF FOUR FEAT. NOVA TWINS - Where the Nightingale Sings (UK)

05. HOTEI - To Hell With Poverty (Japan)

Vinyl One, Side B

01. GARY NUMAN - Love Like Anthrax (UK)

02. GAIL ANN DORSEY - We Live as We Dream, Alone (USA)

03. HERBERT GRÖNEMEYER FEAT. ALEX SILVA - I Love a Man in a Uniform (Germany)

04. LONELADY - Not Great Men (UK)

05. JJ STERRY - 5.45 (UK)

"The Problem Of Leisure": CD Two

Vinyl Two, Side C

01. LA ROUX - Damaged Goods (UK)

02. EVERYTHING EVERYTHING - Natural's Not in It (UK)

03. DADO VILLA-LOBOS - Return the Gift (Brazil)

04. THE DANDY WARHOLS - What We All Want (USA)

05. WARPAINT - Paralysed (USA)

Vinyl Two, Side D

01. FLEA & JOHN FRUSCIANTE – Not Great Men (USA)

02. THE SOUNDS - I Love a Man in a Uniform (Sweden)

03. HARDCORE RAVER IN TEARS - Last Mile** (China)

04. KILLING JOKE X GANG OF FOUR - Forever Starts Now (Killing Joke Dub) (UK)

05. SEKAR MELATI - Not Great Men (live version) (Japan)

* 3D is the remix name of Robert Del Naja from MASSIVE ATTACK

** "Last Mile" is the new title for this cover of "Broken Talk", reflecting new lyrics sung in Mandarin by HARDCORE RAVER IN TEARS

Photo by Jacob Blickenstaff

The European hard rock group HEADLESS — composed of members who have performed alongside the likes of Yngwie Malmsteen, Geoff Tate (ex-QUEENSRŸCHE) and ELEGY — has signed with M-Theory Audio. Their new record, "Square One", which blends classic rock catchiness with heavier progressive metal influences, will be released later this year. First single "Woman In White" — an energetic rocker with a melodic power metal vibe includes lyrics inspired by the works of classic American poet Emily Dickinson — is available for streaming and download now on all digital music platforms. A video in which the ghost of the death-obsessed poetess is projected in a typical video game setting, was directed by Dimitar Stamenov (SABATON, MOTÖRHEAD) and can be viewed below.

The signing and new album is the latest chapter in the saga of a band whose members have amassed an impressive array of credits throughout their respective careers. Göran Edman has been the group's lead vocalist since 2011. The two HEADLESS albums to which he has lent his melodic croons so far — 2013's "Growing Apart" and 2016's "Melt The Ice Away" — join a lengthy resume that began during the 1980s as a part of Swedish hard rockers MADISON and SWEDISH EROTICA; included stints during the 1990s as a vocalist for Yngwie Malmsteen and John Norum (EUROPE); and continued with multiple groups into the 21st Century, most notably alongside members of THE FLOWER KINGS in the progressive metal band KARMAKANIC.

"We are so proud of this new agreement with M-Theory. We finally landed in the U.S. with a proper distribution network," states Walter Cianciusi, founding member of the band. "Can't wait to play these new songs in a city near you!"

HEADLESS was founded in 1996 by cousins Walter (guitars) and Enrico Cianciusi (drums). The original incarnation of the band released the 1996 EP "Future To Past" and the 1998 full-length "Inside You" before disbanding in 2000. Walter and Dario Parente (who, along with Walter, is part of Geoff Tate's band, and recently guested on Tate's SWEET OBLIVION project) revived the name in 2011 with an entirely new lineup, centering the new music around catchy rock choruses, progressive metal technicality and Edman's powerful vocals. That formula — aided by drummer Scott Rockenfield (QUEENSRŸCHE) — formed the basis of their 2013 comeback record "Growing Apart". Enrico rejoined HEADLESS in 2014, and subsequently contributed drumming duties on 2016's "Melt The Ice Away", which also featured a guest appearance from guitarist Jim Matheos (FATES WARNING).

In addition to the two full-length records that HEADLESS has recorded since their 2011 revival, the band has been a consistent live presence on European stages, performing alongside FATES WARNING, QUEENSRŸCHE, TYGERS OF PAN TANG, ANGRA, SKID ROW, BONFIRE, D.A.D., CANDLEMASS, THE DEAD DAISIES and more. The group took their veteran presence back into the studio in 2020 for the recording of their upcoming full-length, "Square One". Their existing mastery of rock-solid AOR anthems is bolstered on the new record by new bassist Martin Helmantel, whose playing helped provide the backbone for a decade's worth of stellar progressive metal from Dutch rockers ELEGY from 1992 through 2002.

"I've long followed Göran Edman's career, finding him to be one of the more underrated voices of hard rock who consistently delivers," states label head Marco Barbieri. "When Walter shopped the new HEADLESS material, I immediately knew I wanted us to be involved. Not just for the opportunity to finally work with Göran, but also due to the strength of the new material with its ability to tread the lines between classic hard rock and into more adventurous realms. Plus, the addition of Martin from ELEGY made this one a no-brainer."

More information on HEADLESS and "Square One" will be released in the weeks to come.

HEADLESS is:

Göran Edman – vocals

Walter Cianciusi – guitars

Dario Parente – guitars

Martin Helmantel – bass guitar

Enrico Cianciusi – drums

German epic death metal brigade Kambrium just announced the release of their fifth studio album, Synthetic ERA on July 9th via Reaper Entertainment.
 
Kambrium are not bound by stereotypes within the metal genre; they prefer instead to tread between these expectations and find themselves equally and comfortably at home within each of the styles that they have chosen to embrace. The result is a sound, crafted with elements of death, melodic and symphonic metal – everything the heart of a metal fan desires.
 
The album was produced in 2020 by the band, recorded at the Kohlekeller Studio in Germany and was mastered by Tom Porcell.  The guys also reveal the cover artwork of the new album. It was done by digital artist Josephine Pallus.

Check out the Deepdive trailer for the Artwork on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Ge1fxML76MQ
 
The band states: "The gloomy vision of the future has become reality. Corruption and treason rule the world. In a divided society, everyone fights for survival. Especially in the dystopian underworld, violence and murder are daily faire. But if you look up, through the nightly rain, past the advertising holograms on the exterior walls, the black markets, the neon lights reflecting in the puddles of the street, the morbid beauty of this scenery, you do not see the sky, but a second society - split off from the rest. A society whose aim it is to represent absolute perfection. Physical modifications and neurological biochip implants created an utopia never known before. Empires of the most diverse corporations grew and were torn down again by competitors. The all-encompassing Cybernet no longer exists due to these wars. VR brain chips are the only way to escape the dreary world, but they are addictive.

Welcome to the new era of Kambrium. A new musical world will be entered. Standstill is not an option! Modern synthwave sounds meet a precisely timed drum machine, guitars become clocks of new cyber hardness and diabolic vocals fight against the bright voices of futuristic euphoria. All this encloses the familiar core of Kambrium: Epic Death Metal. This album is not just new music - it is your soundtrack for the future that you will hold in your hands!"

 
Tracklist:
 
"Neon Death" (Intro)
"Cybernetic Overload"
"Shadow Construct"
"Creator Of Dreams"
"Nature, Error: 404"
"Ghost Of The Machine"
"To The Core"
"Holographic Satisfaction"
"Synthetic ERA"
"Nightly Beast Mode"
"Transcendence"
"After It All"




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KORN frontman Jonathan Davis has told Kerrang! magazine that he and his bandmates have used their coronavirus downtime to work on new music. "We just got done writing a record," he said, before adding: "The band is in different spots all over the place now, too. I'm in Bakersfield, a couple of guys are in L.A. and a couple of guys are in Nashville. It's like an act of God to get us all together to do anything. We have to plan that all out. I'm sure there are a bazillion other bands with new music to release, too. In the meantime, let's just go out, play live and have some fun."

Earlier this year, KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch also confirmed that the band was writing new material. "I think it's no secret that every band is getting together and there's probably going to be a lot of records coming out," he said.

"We've been throwing ideas back and forth, but it's been hard because of the pandemic and whatnot because Munky [James Shaffer, guitar] lives in Los Angeles — right in the thick of it," he continued. "“One in five people has it there. Thank god Munky has not got it, he lives with his wife and her family, and his mother-in-law, they've gotta be careful with her.

"It's been really crazy, but we managed to get together and we're deciding what we're gonna do, but we're coming up with some cool ideas and are hopefully going to make an announcement pretty soon."

Last month, KORN announced a global streaming event, "Korn: Monumental". Scheduled for Saturday, April 24 at 1:00 p.m. PDT / 4:00 p.m. EDT / 9:00 p.m. BST / 10:00 p.m. CEST, the ticketed immersive concert experience will broadcast worldwide from the set of the "Stranger Things: The Drive-Into Experience". Produced by Danny Wimmer Presents, the performance promises to be an unforgettable set from the iconic band, highlighted by rare and sought-after deep cuts and classics from their legendary catalog. Since KORN's latest critically acclaimed album, "The Nothing", never received a proper tour due to the COVID-19 pandemic, "Korn: Monumental" will mark the live debut of select tracks from the new record for fans around

"The Nothing" came out in September 2019 via Roadrunner/Elektra. The follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz

Belgium's Off The Cross are gearing up to release their second album, Enjoy It While It Lasts. They have released a live performance of their song "This Too Shall Pass" featuring guest vocalist Fabienne Erni (Eluveitie / Illumishade) and guest keyboardist Coen Janssen (Epica). Check out the official live video below.

Jens De Vos (Off The Cross): "To make this song we had to go completely out of our comfort zone and it was a whole new experience to write and record. The lyrics deal with pushing through in times when giving up might seem like the only way out. Especially in these troubling times. We have struggled and we know a lot of you did too. But it’s important to remember that this too shall pass."

Fabienne Erni: "I am very excited to be part of this song and had the most amazing time recording it. In the middle of our Eluveitie tour, Jens picked me up from the tour bus to go to Sandlane Recording Facilities to record the song with Joost van den Broek. Daan's low growls combined with my voice creates a wonderful contrast and along with the dynamic arrangement it allowed me to really explore different colors in my vocal range."

Enjoy It While It Lasts will be released on April 29th

Tracklist:

"Masks"
"Mute.Deaf.Blind"
"Exist"
"The Dance"
"This Too Shall Pass"
"A Broken Narrative"
"Strife"
"Dharma"
"Cease And Desist"
"Blackbox"
"A Life Lived To Die"

"The Dance"

Off The Cross is:

Daan Swinnen - vocals
Jens De Vos - guitar
Kurt Hermans - bass
Pieter De Ridder - drums




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Get ready to rock and roll all nite and party every day with KISS Replicas' latest release: the officially licensed Demon Monster KISS costume. You'll soon be driving us wild as you suit up as the fire-spitting demonic bassist.

Inspired by Gene Simmons's legendary persona, this immaculately detailed costume is made with a thick outer hard shell allowing you to rock cities while looking fancy and maintaining a comfortable form fit. The detailed armor is just the tip of the tongue. Cast from the actual molds used to create the same armor for the mythical Gene Simmons's Demon, this costume also features adjustable sleeve armor positioning, adaptable side torso straps, adjustable codpiece, spiked fingerless gloves and the black studded pleather cape with four points of attachment. Allowing for even more pliancy, the torso features three adjustable leather straps meant to adapt to most all body types.

The Demon Monster features stunning organic anatomic details and lavalike seams. With this costume you're not just playing dress-up, you're becoming the King Of The Night Time World ready to find your headlight queen.

With this set limited to just 250 orders, you are not going to want to let this one get away.

The Demon Monster is made in North America and includes:

* Torso Armor, Sleeve Armor, Fingerless Gloves, Cape, Cod Piece, Bodysuit and Dragon Boots

* Mind-blowing details visually identical to the actual Demon stage worn armor

* Adjustable Sleeve Positioning — Adaptable fit chest

* Adjustable Cod Piece

* Custom Black Studded Cape with four Points of Attachment

Since 2015, KISS Replicas has been the premier developer of officially high-end KISS replica costumes under license by Epic Rights, KISS's global licensing agent. All costumes are produced by UD Replicas, the licensing division of Universal Designs Ltd.

David Pea, president of UD Replicas, says: "Nothing like this has ever been offered before. This beautifully intricate costume is made entirely by hand and each one takes hundreds of hours to complete. It's more than just a costume; this is a dream come true for fans the world over that have an emotional connection to KISS and the excitement their costumes garner.”

Visit KISSreplicas.com for more information and additional KISS costumes.

When psychedelic rock icons MONSTER MAGNET got off the plane in the USA after their "Powertrip" tour of Europe in February 2020, they already realized that they'd dodged a bullet. The band members were all healthy, despite having spent the last week of the month-long excursion gigging overseas, and at that point, many of those countries were in total lockdown. Part two of that tour, North America, was scheduled to begin three weeks later, but the rest is history… no live music, anywhere. So, what's a band that's been touring regularly for 30 years to do with this newfound downtime?

Frontman Dave Wyndorf tells the inspired tale below, but without further ado — Napalm Records is pleased to present the next chapter of MONSTER MAGNET's rabbit hole deep dive, "A Better Dystopia" (out May 21, 2021): a delightfully (and psychotically) curated collection of '60s and '70s proto-metal and late-era psych obscurities covered by the heavy New Jersey legends themselves.

While the album marks a new frontier for MONSTER MAGNET as their first covers record, this is not your typical set of standards released to pass time. "A Better Dystopia" sees the band pay homage to some of their favorite songs of all time, while reflecting on the paranoia, dystopia and revolution of both now — and then.

Fans can experience another taste of "A Better Dystopia" via a lyric video for MONSTER MAGNET's cover of classic DUST track "Learning To Die".

Of the song selection, Wyndorf says: "'Learning To Die' blew me away when I was 15 and it still blows me away. Man, do I LOVE to sing this song. DUST was one of the greats."

Wyndorf says about the birth of "A Better Dystopia": "We all agreed that we would be bored out of our minds within a month of lockdown. MONSTER MAGNET loves the road. It's a lifestyle. So, I considered our options. Rather than panhandle on the Internet, hawking masks and Zoom-rocking practice sessions for dollars, I suggested we record a 'bunker record.' A total DIY affair (band only) recorded and mixed in Bob Pantella's small-but-potent Freak Shop Studios/rehearsal space right here in New Jersey. But what to record?

"I didn't feel much like writing, but working on anything was better than watching the news as hospitals filled up, people died, and American politics went bat-shit crazy. The world roared 'Dystopia! Apocalypse! Revolution!' I'd heard those words before, and they brought to mind my childhood in the late '60s/early '70s… and the music… and short playlist of songs (just one of many) that I'd been carrying around with me on my whatever device to listen to before shows. Of course, these tunes have also been in my head for more or less my whole life. These were not the popular hits of the time. This was like a playlist from the fourth dimension… strange bits of musical obscurity, mostly dredged up from that inglorious and freaky 'twilight zone' time that preceded arena rock, heavy metal, reggae and disco. A no-man's land of hard rock that still had remnants of psychedelia and garage punk but had abandoned any notion of 'flower power' or frat house fun. And of course, they rocked.

"Yeah, these songs were it."

Wyndorf is at the top of his game on "A Better Dystopia", delivering each lyric in his own inimitable style, and musicians Phil Caivano, Bob Pantella, Garrett Sweeney and Alec Morton own the sound — vintage and old school, dense and heavy, with searing fuzz leads and pounding bass and drums all played in a deft style that's almost been lost in modern music. The album opens with "The Diamond Mine", as Dave Wyndorf recites a classic monologue by Dave Diamond, an American radio DJ whose programs in the late '60s and early '70s helped popularize many psychedelic and acid rock bands. At this point the real trip begins, as the opening chords of the HAWKWIND classic "Born To Go" gear up for launch. Tracks like standout "Mr. Destroyer" (POO-BAH) spur visions of some untold freak revolution — or perhaps dinosaurs battling on a burning planet at the end of time — creating a perfect blend of hard rock and psychedelia. Feverish "Motorcycle (Straight To Hell)" (TABLE SCRAPS) is pure punk fury of the old school tradition, evoking a cross between Iggy Pop and MOTÖRHEAD as Wyndorf wails "I'm gonna drive it straight to HELL!" Falling even further down the mind-bending rabbit hole, MAGNET offers their stunning, whirlwind take on the often-overlooked hard rock classic "Learning To Die" (DUST) and a masterful version of the STOOGES-meets-goth epic "Solid Gold Hell" (THE SCIENTISTS). The album closes with a bonus nuclear cover of MORGEN's "Welcome To The Void", inviting you to restart the ride again and again.

Wyndorf concludes: "The great bands whose music we lovingly interpret here were (and some still are) on the fringe, underrated, and in our opinion, really, really cool. I think that's reason enough for us to do this album. Furthermore, 'A Better Dystopia' is a collection of songs that I think reflect (knowingly or unknowingly) a paranoid time in history, but also deflect that same paranoia by owning it, fully. And of course, it ROCKS."

"A Better Dystopia" track listing:

01. The Diamond Mine

02. Born To Go

03. Epitaph For A Head

04. Solid Gold Hell

05. Be Forewarned

06. Mr. Destroyer

07. When The Wolf Sits

08. Death

09. Situation

10. It's Trash

11. Motorcycle (Straight To Hell)

12. Learning To Die

13. Welcome To The Void (bonus track)

MONSTER MAGNET is:

Dave Wyndorf - Vocals, Guitar

Phil Caivano - Guitar

Garret Sweeny - Guitar

Alec Morton - Bass

Bob Pantella - Drums

Photo credit: Gonzales Photo / Per-Otto Oppi / Alamy Live News

Reunited San Francisco Bay Area thrashers VIO-LENCE have finished recording their new EP for a tentative late summer release via Metal Blade Records. The sessions took place at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California with producer Juan Urteaga, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, MACHINE HEAD and EXODUS, among many others.

Late Saturday night (April 24), VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel shared a photo from the studio and he included the following message: "And that's a WRAP!!! New VIO-recording is done. On to the mix and one step closer to your ears!!!! Thanks to Juan Urteaga for giving us his best and getting some awesome performances. So excited to share with you all what we've been working on."

Singer Sean Killian previously described VIO-LENCE's new material as "a cross between 'Eternal [Nightmare]' [1988], 'Oppressing [The Masses]' [1990] and also our '93 demo. It's fast, it's heavy. We've got a couple of good chunk riffs and stuff like that," he explained. "We wanna get stuff in that's gonna start a pit up too. But we think people are gonna go crazy when they hear it. We've got some heavy lyrics, some heavy subjects. I mean, we're not a political band by any means, so when I say 'heavy,' it's just heavy shit that comes out of my demented head."

Last May, Demmel told EXODUS frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza's YouTube channel, Zetro's Toxic Vault, that VIO-LENCE was taking its time coming up with the best material possible. "When [the songs are] ready, they're ready," he said. "This [coronavirus pandemic] has given us more time. But still, it's gotta be fucking killer. I had a riff that the [other] dudes were kind of digging, and I'm all, 'I don't got a boner with this one.' I want a 10-foot boner with everything that we're doing now. It's gotta be better, it's gotta be fucking kick-ass… I don't wanna put out some crap."

In August, VIO-LENCE released a new digital single, "California Über Alles", a cover version of the DEAD KENNEDYS classic. The band also filmed a music video for the song with director Scott Kirkeeng.

In January 2020, VIO-LENCE parted ways with guitarist Ray Vegas and replaced him with Bobby Gustafson (ex-OVERKILL). The band's current lineup also includes bassist Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-FEAR FACTORY).

VIO-LENCE released three studio albums between 1988 and 1993. The group reunited soon after Demmel left MACHINE HEAD in late 2018.

The band performed its first comeback concert in April 2019 at the Oakland Metro in Oakland, California and spent most of the ensuing months playing select shows in the U.S. and Europe.

Although MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn was part of VIO-LENCE's classic incarnation and played on the band's debut album, "Eternal Nightmare", he wasn't approached about taking part in any of the comeback shows.

Killian underwent a successful liver transplant surgery in March 2018. The year before, Killian was diagnosed with stage four liver cirrhosis, which was caused in part by a genetic condition called hemochromatosis.

VIO-LENCE's last album, "Nothing To Gain", was recorded in August 1990, but wasn't released until 1993.

Photo credit: James Willard
























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Banger Films has released the fourth episode from "Heavy Metal Hitchhiker", the original comedy web series produced by its digital division BangerTV.

The eight-episode series is directed and co-written by Marc Ricciardelli ("Shredders Of Metal", "Protest The Hero: Of Our Own Volition") and stars comedian Garrett Jamieson and is soundtracked by music from POWER TRIP, CARCASS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, EARTHLESS and POSSESSED, as well as a slew of Canadian artists such as EXCITER, KEN MODE, PROTEST THE HERO, CANCER BATS, MOUNT CYANIDE, SARIN and SMOULDER.

This action-packed comedy series follows a day in the life of Mitch, a heavy metal-loving gas station attendant, who stumbles upon an abandoned guitar that belongs to his favourite band, RÄGR. In a moment of happenstance, Mitch realizes that he must follow in his father's roadie-shaped footsteps and return the six-stringed axe to the band in time for their headlining concert. Without money or wheels, Mitch's only option is to hitchhike. He's got 10 hours to travel 247 kilometers to fulfill his destiny.

"Heavy Metal Hitchhiker"'s executive producer is Sam Dunn, co-founder of Banger Films, an award-winning filmmaker and a global ambassador for the heavy metal community.

"This is a new chapter for BangerTV. Metalheads are going to be blown away by this series," explained Dunn. "It's jam packed with laughs and killer tunes from some amazing bands. I'm super proud of this series. It isn't just for metalheads, I think everyone will enjoy it."

"The Heavy Metal Hitchhiker" digital series is produced by Banger Films with the support of the Bell Fund.

Banger Films is a fully integrated production company creating feature documentaries, TV series, live concerts, kids programming and digital. Founded by Scot McFadyen and Dunn in 2004 with the groundbreaking documentary "Metal: A Headbanger's Journey", its signature productions include the Peabody Award and International Emmy Award-winning series "Hip-Hop Evolution", the Grammy-nominated doc "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" and "Metal Evolution", the biggest television series ever made about the history of heavy metal.

BangerTV is the world's fastest-growing digital channel for heavy metal music and culture. With over 40 million channel views, it's where headbangers gather to watch the best original documentaries, interviews and reviews made by metal fans, for metal fans. Since launching in September 2015 as a YouTube channel, it has reached more than 310,000 subscribers and has become the go-to destination for the international metal community.

King Crimson founder Robert Fripp and his singer wife Toyah Willcox - joined by the mysterious stranger Sidney Jake - are back with another episode in their "Toyah & Robert’s Sunday Lunch" series. This time they take on Hawkwind's "Silver Machine". Watch below:

A selection of Robert & Toyah's previous Sunday Lunch videos can be seen below:




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SEETHER frontman Shaun Morgan recently performed acoustic versions of a couple of the band's songs — "Fine Again" and "Bruised And Bloodied" — for listeners of the Detroit's WRIF radio station. Check out video below.

"Bruised And Bloodied" is taken from SEETHER's latest album, "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum" ("If You Want Peace, Prepare For War"), which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard's Hard Rock chart upon its release last year.

Morgan previously stated about the track: "'Bruised And Bloodied' is a mix of self-deprecation and rage, neatly wrapped up in a sexy groove with a big shiny pop bow on top. Essentially, it is a combination of shame and sadness delivered in a cheerful way, as I've always enjoyed juxtaposing jaded lyrics with a jubilant melody."

"Bruised And Bloodied", the second single released from "Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum", follows "Dangerous", which topped rock radio for three consecutive weeks last fall. In between, the band shared videos for two fan-favorite album tracks "Beg" and "Wasteland". Additionally, SEETHER has been highlighting tracks from its multi-platinum-selling catalog with a series of virtual acoustic performance videos via its YouTube channel.

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, SEETHER released three of its classic albums — "Disclaimer II", "Karma And Effect" and "Finding Beauty In Negative Spaces" — on vinyl for the very first time in November via Craft Recordings. Released early in the band's remarkable run, these three albums exemplify the distinctive musicianship and songcraft for which SEETHER is best known and helped solidify them as one of the most successful hard rock bands in the world.

Since forming in Pretoria, South Africa in 1999, SEETHER has amassed a global fan base that has grown organically with the quartet's sense of purpose and commitment spreading outwards, offering their fans around the world camaraderie, comfort and a sense of personal power. While others of their ilk faded away, SEETHER maintains a strong sense of self, ignoring trends and critics in favor of a consummate devotion to their craft. Their impressive sales and chart history includes three platinum and two gold albums, 16 No. 1 singles (including 2017's "Let You Down", 2014's "Words As Weapons" and 2011's "Tonight"); 20 Top 5 multi-format hits, with U.S. singles sales topping 17 million and over 1.5 billion streams worldwide across all platforms.

They are also creators of the Rise Above Fest, founded in 2012 to raise awareness for suicide prevention and mental illness. Past headliners of the annual gathering include Slash, GODSMACK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, PAPA ROACH and many more. Since conception, the Rise Above Fest has turned into a broader movement, expanding its presence at additional music festivals around the globe. All SEETHER shows donate $1 of ticket sales to benefit the SAVE (Suicide Awareness Voices Of Education) organization.

Former Manowar guitarist David Shankle - known for his work on The Triumph Of Steel record - has returned with Feanor's fourth album, Power Of The Chosen One. It was released on April 23rd via Massacre Records and is now available via all digital platforms found here.

Tracklist:

"Rise Of The Dragon"
"Power Of The Chosen One"
"This You Can Trust"
"Metal Land"
"Hell Is Waiting"
"Together Forever"
"Bringer Of Pain"
"Lost In Battle"
"Fighting For A Dream"
"The Return Of The Metal King (The Odyssey In 9 Parts)"

"Power Of The Chosen One"

"Rise Of The Dragon"

On the latest episode of the 80's Glam Metalcast, host Metal Mike catches up with former Manowar guitarist David Shankle. He talks about the bands he’s in involved with today - Feanor, Grave Reign, and Holy Tide. He also talks Manowar, guitars, and hot sauce. Check out the interview below.

Shankle was with Manowar from 1989–1994 and recorded one album with the band, The Triumph Of Steel, released in 1992.

On the new Feanor album, Power of The Chosen One, coming out April 23rd

Shankle: "Before Covid, I had gone overseas and toured twice with the band Feanor. The first time I ever toured with them, we played the entire Triumph of Steel album live. It went so well that I decided to join the group and do this new record, The Power of The Chosen One. This new Feanor album was just meant to be. This record is my part two to the Triumph of Steel that I never got to make because I wasn’t in the band to do another album. It’s not a copy by any means, but it’s my way of going back to my true metal roots. The albums all done and we are so happy with how it came out. I just keep moving forward. If people like what I do..great. If they don’t, then fuck off!"

On The Triumph of Steel album

Shankle: "There many people out there that love that album. Nothing against Ross The Boss, he helped start the band and a lot of people love the early classic Manowar albums. You have different generations of Manowar, they have been around a long time. And they are still going with this other guitar player.....whatever! Ross made his legacy in the band. When I came in, I made my legacy that no one can take away from Ross or me. Triumph of Steel was one of the first albums for Manowar to be in the top 10 in Germany when it came out. I wrote that album with Joey DeMaio and it went Gold and Platinum and I’m very proud of that. I will wear that on my shoulder until the day I die. My time in Manowar helped put me on the map, but things change."

On Manowar playing with a guitarist from a tribute band

Shankle: "They brought in the drummer from a Manowar tribute band. I thought he was a very good drummer and of course he knew all the songs. Then that awful thing happened with Karl Logan and everybody was asking 'Are they going to bring Ross back? They should bring back David!' Some people wanted us both back and play together, but Joey would never ever do that! Neither Ross nor myself ever got a call, e-mail, or text to discuss it. I have always said, I have nothing against Manowar. If they wanted to muster up the strength to give me call about coming back, I certainly would have listened. I heard they chose to go with the tribute guy by the urging of the new drummer, because the two of them had played together and he knew all the songs. A lot of fans gave this guy heat because they wanted Ross or me, or both of us. I heard an interview with Joey, where he said we have a new guitar player (E.V. Martel) and he’s a combination of Ross, David, and any other guitarists we’ve had. No, that’s not true! Don’t even try and put that guy in my world, or alone my hemisphere. No disrespect to that guy, but don’t even go there! I know that after the tribute drummer they had Anders Johansson from Hammerfall and Yngwie Malmsteen in there. I’m not sure if he’s still playing in the band or not. Why people come and go? Point your finger at the leader of the band I guess. It’s Joey’s band and he’s done very well for himself. Him and Eric fought hard to put Manowar on the map, so did Ross. God bless ‘em....but I move on with my different projects."




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Swedish melodic death metal band This Ending, formerly known as  A Canorous Quintet, has released the third single from their new album Needles Of Rust, coming June 11th via Black Lion Records.

This Ending issued the following statement regarding their new song "Eclipse Of The Dead": "This is an old song that was first written ten years ago by Linus N. We have tried to make it work for years and finally it has found the shape it needed. This was one of the first songs originally written after our second album, Dead Harvest. We also have guest vocals on this one from Gord courtesy of Darkened. The lyrics deal partly with the issues of environmental destruction and how many ignore their part in this. It also revolves around the issue of accepting the easy answers without question, to blindly trust the so-called leaders."

Nine songs of apocalyptic, brutal yet catchy melodic death metal back to the roots of what was done earlier in A Canorous Quintet. Needles Of Rust was recorded, mixed and mastered at Wing Studios by Sverker Widgren, To give the album cover the necessary atmosphere Björn Gooßes of Killustrations was hired once again (as on the previous album, Garden Of Death) to take care of the artwork and layout. Overall, the lyrical themes for the Needles Of Rust album deal with different kinds of nightmare scenarios. Some lyrics are loosely based on real events and things that have happened around the world. Some are just about nightmares as an overall phenomenon. All lyrics are up for personal interpretation.

Tracklisting:

"My Open Wound"         
"Annihilate"         
"Embraced By The Night"         
"Eclipse Of The Dead"         
"A New Plight"         
"Needles Of Rust"         
"Devastate"         
"Hell To Hell"         
"The Hunted" 

"Annihilate":

"Devastate": 

 




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Thomas Zwijsen is most known for his arrangements of Iron Maiden hits on Classical Guitar (Nylon Maiden). He released an official video of "Fear Of The Dark" seven years ago, which now has over 5 million views.

"It's tradition I post a video on my birthday every year," says Zwijsen. "And this time I thought the time was right for an update of my 'Fear Of The Dark' arrangement. Enjoy this new version performed on my new Signature Guitar by Ortega Guitars and thank you so much for all the support!"

"Fear Of The Dark" is the title track of the Fear Of The Dark album, released in 1992 (with 2015 remaster). The song became one of Iron Maiden's biggest live hits. Several famous live versions are available including Rock in Rio, Live at Donington Park, En Vivo!, Flight 666 and more. 

In 2020, Thomas Zwijsen released a video of himself performing "Fear Of The Dark" on double neck ukulele.

Here is Zwijsen's initial "Fear Of The Dark" cover from 2013.

And of course, the original "Fear Of The Dark" by Iron Maiden:

 




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Imonolith features drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project), guitarist Brian ‘Beav’ Wadell (Devin Townsend Project), Jon Howard (Threat Signal), guitarist Kai Huppunen (Methods of Mayhem, Noise Therapy) and Scott Whalen (Econoline Crush). They have checked in with a new update:

"We’ll confirm now that Imonolith will be releasing a 5 song EP called Progressions in 2021. All newly recorded music with some surprises. The first single will be released soon (date announcement coming up), along with a special plan to keep you guys entertained! Thanks for the support, stay posted. We’re excited to release our evolved sound to you all!" 

Imonolith was formed in February 2018 by drummer Ryan "RVP" Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project/Band) and guitarist Brian Waddell (Devin Townsend Project/ Band). The pair originally started writing Imonolith’s brand of music in 2015, while respectively playing in the Devin Townsend Project (2009-2018). RVP and Waddell pursued vocalist Jon Howard (Threat Signal, Arkaea) and second guitarist Kai Huppunen (Methods of Mayhem, Noise Therapy), and lastly bassist Scott Whalen (Econoline Crush),to complete Imonolith as a band.

Imonolith's debut album, State Of Being, was released on March 27th, 2020.

Imonolith recently issued the following update:

"We've been getting lots of messages regarding validity of tickets you bought to see us for our March 2020 and February 2021 Tours. Read on below.

To all of you who have purchased tickets to an Imonolith Concert in the UK and Europe... those tickets will be honoured at the same or new venue for the city you chose to see us in for our November / December 2021 Headlining Tour. If your city is now not on the current list of your dates, please contact your ticket provider for further details. "

The schedule is as follows:

November
3 - Stoke, UK - Underground
4 - Glasgow, UK - Broadcast
5 - Edinburgh, UK - Bannerman
6 - Newcastle, UK - Underground
7 - Bristol, UK - Exchange
8 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
9 - Leeds, UK - The Key Club
10 - Bournemouth, UK - The Anvil
11 - London, UK - The Black Heart
12 - Bilzen, Belgium - South of Heaven
13 - Lyon, France - Rock n Eat
15 - Madrid, Spain - Rockville
16 - Portugalete, Spain - Groove
17 - Montpellier, France - Secret Place
18 - Martigny, Switzerland - Sunset Bar
19 - Mainz, Germany - Schon Schon
20 - Cham, Germany - L.A. Live Club Cafe
21 - Modena, Italy - MK Live
23 - Brasov, Romania - Rockstadt
24 - Budapest, Hungary - ROBOT
25 - Salzburg, Austria - Rockhouse Bar
26 - Geislingen, Germany - MieV
27 - Dobeln, Germany - KL17
28 - Prague, Czech Republic - Rock Cafe
29 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
30 - Bochum, Germany - Die Trompete

December
1 - Hamburg, Germany - Goldener Salon
3 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hus 7
5 - Helsinki, Finland - On The Rocks
6 - Tallin, Estonia - Rockclub Tapper
8 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
9 - Vilnius Lithuania - Club Narauti




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Gone In April, the symphonic melodic death metallers featuirng Testament bassist Steve Di Giorgio, have premiered their new official video for "Haven".

"Before recording our album Shards Of Light," says singer-violinist Julie Bélanger Roy, "we scouted many locations for our music videos. We wrote the lyrics of some of our songs specifically with the chosen locations in mind, framing our stories around these environments. We heard about the Great Saltpetre Cave from a friend whose father used to offer oil lamp guided tours of the cave. After a warm welcome from the members of the preserve who kindly allowed us to film in the cave, we were absolutely amazed by the monumental size of the main room, a stunning 165' long x 65' wide x 50' high, enough to comfortably sit 1500 people."

"A few spins of the imagination, and we write a song about a fast-spreading virus, the need for a safe haven for a large body of people while they wait for the virus to die off, a few years spent underground, and a new world when everybody emerges from the cave. Little did we know what was coming our way when we recorded this song. As we finally start to see the end of this worldwide crisis, we feel that the time has come to release Haven, and hopefully find our version of a new world."

"Haven" is taken from Gone In April's latest album, Shards Of Light, released in September 2019. The video was filmed and edited by Norwegian artist Thomas Mortveit.

Tracklisting:

"Empire Of Loss"
"If You Join Me"
"Power To Heal"
"A Torch In The Night"
"Une Route Nouvelle"
"Reign"
"Haven"
"A Race With Time"
"Paix"
"Soldiers Of The Dawn"
"Brothers In Arms"
"Unity"
"Epilogue"

"Empire Of Loss":

"If You Join Me":

 




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