Phoenix-based thrashers, Flotsam And Jetsam, recently released their 15th studio album, I Am The Weapon, via AFM Records.


Chart positions for the new album are starting to roll in. I Am The Weapon lands at #24 on Germany's Top 100 Albums chart, while in Switzerland, the album sits at #26.


I Am The Weapon has achieved the following chart positions in the US:




#4 - Current Hard Music Albums
#15 - Top New Artist Albums
#31 - Current Rock Albums
#40 - Record Label Independent Current Albums
#55 Current Digital Albums
#62 - Digital Albums
#84 - Indie Store Album Sales
#89 - Current Album Sales
#108 - Heatseekers Albums
#157 - Album Sales
#164 - Top Albums w/TEA





I Am The Weapon was composed and produced by the whole band and the eleven new songs were recorded at SonicPhish Productions, Gnome Lord Studios, Wayne Manor Studios, and Seventh Spike Studios. The cover artwork was again created by Andy Pilkington.


Order your copy of this must-have album, one that belongs into every well-sorted metal record collection, here.


"This entire record was special to us, and we did our best to make music that inspired us first and foremost," the band comments. "We all genuinely love this record, and every song on the record, so hopefully our listeners feel as strongly as we do."


"Thank you so much for your support, your love, and your encouragement for the last 40 years. You are the reason we continue to tour and to make music! You are the best, and we will continue to fight for the music as long as we have breath!





I Am The Weapon tracklisting:


"A New Kind Of Hero"
"Primal"
"I Am The Weapon"
"Burned My Bridges"
"The Head Of The Snake"
"Beneath The Shadows"
"Gates Of Hell"
"Cold Steel Lights"
"Kings Of The Underworld"
"Running Through The Fire"
"Black Wings"


"The Head Of The Snake":





"A New Kind Of Hero" video:





"Burned My Bridges":





"Primal" video:





"I Am The Weapon" lyric video:

The shadows grow deeper as Veil Of The Serpent returns with their latest offering, "Deliverance", a relentless onslaught of heavy metal fury ripped from the forthcoming EP, Gallery Of Sin III.


Gallery Of Sin III marks the final, blood-soaked chapter in Veil Of The Serpent's harrowing trilogy, set to culminate in the release of the complete Gallery Of Sin album this November. Over the past three years, the band has crafted a tale of terror and torment, and with this EP, they push the limits of darkness to new, terrifying depths. The EP drops October 11, just in time to drag listeners into the abyss as the nights grow long.


Forged in the fires of Germany and the United States, "Deliverance" is a brutal manifestation of the band’s signature blend of crushing riffs, venomous vocals, and a suffocating atmosphere. It's a track that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go, offering a glimpse into the relentless horror that Gallery Of Sin III promises to unleash.




To plunge fans deeper into their world of nightmares, Veil Of The Serpent has released a haunting new music video for "Deliverance". Drenched in the same horror aesthetic that fans have come to expect, the video pays homage to the eerie mood and retro style of 1982 horror film, Halloween III - Season of the Witch.

Living Gate will unleash their debut full length, Suffer As One, on October 25 via Relaspe Records. Today, the band shares the official music video for the opening track, “To Cut Off The Head Of The Snake”. Watch the video, created by Jaak De Digitale, below.


The band, featuring Aaron Rieseberg (YOB,) Lennart Bossu (Oathbreaker, Amenra,) Wim Coppers (Oathbreaker, Wiegedood,) and Levy Seynaeve (Wiegedood,) surfaces from the underground to release one of 2024's most unrelenting, old school death metal records. Pre-order Suffer As One on LP/CD/Digital here. Pre-save here.







Suffer As One tracklisting:


"To Cut Off The Head Of The Snake"
"Internal Decomposition"
"Destroy and Consume"
"A Unified Soul"
"Massive Depletion in Eb Minor"
"Suffer As One"
"Ones and Zeroes"
"Hunting Maggots"
"Atoms and Particles"
"Overcome, Overthrow"
"CQC"


"To Cut Off The Head Of The Snake" video:





"Hunting Maggots" lyric video:

New Jersey’s symphonic metal band, Everdawn, unveil their new single and accompanying music video, “Another Lifetime”, out today via Frontiers Music Srl. Stream/download the single here, and watch the video below.





The band comment on the track: “Many of us feel the constant fear that we are straying from our path, or that the journey set before us is not the one we're meant for. We may feel afraid we are not strong enough to face the battles ahead or we feel anxious that we are veering away from the life we want. This song is about fighting inner demons, challenging our insecurities or preconceived notions and rising above. Trust nothing but yourself to achieve what you want in life, following your own footsteps. Realize: you are exactly where you are meant to be and who you are meant to become.”





 
Everdawn is a female fronted symphonic metal band based out of New Jersey. The band was originally created in March 2014 under the moniker Midnight Eternal, counting founding members, Boris Zaks, Richard Fischer, Dan Prestup and Mike LePond.


In early 2016 the band signed deals first with Intromental Management and later Marquee/Avalon (Asia) and Inner Wound Recordings (Europe/North America) for the release of the self-titled debut. The album was engineered by Eric Rachel (Skid Row, Symphony X) and the mixing and mastering was handled by Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids, Jorn). The impressive artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani, Delain).


The band commenced on a North American tour, as support of prog-veterans Queensryche and toured Europe as support for the avantgarde-kings of Therion on two amazing and lengthy tours that took the band to another level. It was suddenly a name to be reckoned with, even after only one album.


After a few changes in the line-up and the inclusion of the amazing voice of the young and very talented Russian born, Canadian singer Alina Gavrilenko, who brought a full-blown energetic vocal approach into the new songs of the band, the name was changed into Everdawn, to signal a fresh beginning.

Today, House Of Lords release "Taking The Fall", the third single from their upcoming twelfth studio album, Full Tilt Overdrive, out October 11 via Frontiers Music Srl. Recorded and produced once again by the band’s singer and mastermind, James Christian along with keyboardist Mark Mangold, Full Tilt Overdrive does not change nor alter the band’s winning formula but instead offers an inspired and credible album that stands shoulder to shoulder with the best albums from the band’s repertoire.


Frontman James Christian on the story of the song: "In 'Taking The Fall,' the protagonist faces a wrongful accusation of homicide. With his girlfriend mysteriously missing, the only clues left behind are a single shoe and a key, deepening the haunting uncertainty of her fate."


This is an album that will be remembered as one of the strongest ever from the band. House Of Lords has toured relentlessly in Europe and the States becoming a true staple of the hard rock scene on both continents. The band plans to bring the new songs on stage soon.







House Of Lords is now formed by the legendary singer James Christian – the sole member who appeared on all the band’s albums - guitarist Jimi Bell, who has been with the band since their return with World Upside Down, the charismatic keyboardist and songwriter Mark Mangold (Touch, Michael Bolton, Drive, She Said) along with Swedish drummer Johan Koleberg (Lions Share, Ignition, Therion). This is the same lineup that appeared on the previous album Saints And Sinners. however they are now definitely more gelled and have produced a more focused and extremely ambitious new album with no weak points.


House Of Lords stands for superb hooks and majestic atmospheres that bring back the memories of their stellar debut album, monumental guitar riffs, and a production to die for. All these ingredients you will find in abundance on Full Tilt Overdrive, especially with songs such as the 9-minute epic closer “Castles High” and the lead single “Bad Karma”, not forgetting “Taking the Fall” which has a nod to the band’s biggest hit “Can’t Find My Way Home” and the riveting title track.


Pre-order Full Tilt Overdrive here.





Full Tilt Overdrive tracklisting:


"Crowded Room"
"Bad Karma"
"Cry of the Wicked"
"Full Tilt Overdrive"
"Taking The Fall"
"You're Cursed"
"Not The Enemy"
"I Don't Wanna Say Goodbye"
"Still Believe"
"State of Emergency"
"Castles High"
"I Don't Wanna Say Goodbye" (Acoustic Version) Bonus Track Japan


"Bad Karma" video:





"Crowded Room" visualizer:





House Of Lords debuted in 1989 with the release of their self-titled album, a record that is still regarded as one of the best arena rock releases of the 1980s. The colossal sound, the soaring vocals of Christian, and the instrumental capabilities of the band (which featured ex-Angel and Giuffria keyboardist Gregg Giuffria, along with luminaries Lanny Cordola, Chuck Wright, and Ken Mary), were reminiscent of such frontrunners as Whitesnake, Deep Purple and Van Halen and immediately brought the band to the attention of the mainstream music media and the masses of '80s hard rock fans.


With their sophomore release, Sahara, House Of Lords had considerable radio and video chart success with their cover of Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home." After a tour with Nelson in 1991, the group disbanded, eventually coming back together with a new lineup (featuring original members Giuffria and Christian) in 1992 with Demon's Down. With the change in musical cli

Queen have released the official live video below, featuring the band's performance of debut album track, "Son And Daughter", filmed at London's Hammersmith Odeon on December 24, 1975.





Queen recently shared a 3D unboxing video for the collector's edition of their upcoming Queen I box set, out on October 25. Watch below:







Queen recently released a brand new music video for "The Night Comes Down", a timeless track from their debut album.


The video features classic images of Queen from the early 1970s, but following a collaboration with an artist specializing in AI, some of those images have been given a whole new dimension. Hopefully, the end result is a sense of what it was like being around the band as their extraordinary journey began.


“The Night Comes Down” is the first single taken from Queen I, a remastered, remixed, expanded 6-disc box set of the band’s ground-breaking debut album, Queen, and one of the earliest of the band’s recordings to ever appear on an official release. The track is released physically on 7” on October 4 , shortly ahead of the anticipated Queen I box set release on October 25.


Among the band’s legendary tracks, Brian May’s tenderly nostalgic confessional pointed gracefully towards Queen’s future. The glinting guitars of the opening herald a display of Brian’s innovative and layered style, set to become a key element of Queen’s dramatic, grandiose, and orchestrated sound.


Between Freddie Mercury’s exquisite falsetto, John Deacon’s rippling bass, Roger Taylor’s attentive percussion and Brian’s deeply sensitive playing, the young band were here discovering a voice all of their own.


Physical 7” single is set for release on October 4. Pre-order here.





"The Night Comes Down" 7” single tracklisting:


A: "The Night Comes Down" (2024 Mix - Single Version)


B: "The Night Comes Down" (Backing Track)





Over half a century since its release and a vital chapter in the band’s story, Queen’s self-titled 1973 debut album has been remixed and restored by Justin Shirley-Smith, Joshua J Macrae and Kris Fredriksson to sound the way the band always wanted it to. A new tracklisting, alternative takes, demos and live tracks have now been added to create the most complete version of this pivotal work. This is the very first time that a Queen album has ever received a new stereo mix.


The 6CD + 1 LP Queen I box set contains 63 tracks with 43 brand new mixes, comprising the original album with its intended running order restored, intimate fly-on-the-wall audio of Queen in the studio, demos, rare live tracks, and previously unheard recordings from Queen’s first-ever live performance in London, August 1970. Absent from the 1973 release, the song “Mad The Swine” has been reinstated to its original place in the running order. A 108-page book containing handwritten lyrics and memorabilia accompanies the release.


“This is not just a remaster,” writes Brian May in the CD sleeve insert notes, “this is a brand new 2024 rebuild of the entire Queen debut album, which, with the benefit of hindsight, we have re-titled Queen I.”


May continues, “All the performances are exactly as they originally appeared in 1973, but every instrument has been revisited to produce the ‘live’ ambient sounds we would have liked to use originally. The result is “Queen“ as it would have sounded with today’s knowledge and technology – a first.”


“Queen I is the debut album we always dreamed of bringing to you.”


Queen began life in early summer 1970, but took their first steps in the studio after vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor recruited bass guitarist, John Deacon, in July 1971.


“The first three years were really faith and fumes,” says Roger Taylor. “We were penniless but we had a lot of belief in ourselves and a lot of energy.”


While Queen struggled for recognition, their music and stage act were developing. If their previous band Smile were a band for the late 1960s, then Queen’s sound and image was about the here and now and tomorrow. Their songs were already filled with huge riffs, choral harmonies and classical flourishes.


After John Deacon’s arrival, Queen secured a production, song publishing and management deal with Trident Audio Productions. Having heard the band’s demos, the company’s owners, brothers Norman and Barry Sheffield, agreed to fund the recording of Queen’s first album, which they would then shop to potential record companies.


The Sheffields also owned Trident Studios, a state-of-the-art facility in London’s Soho, which had been used by Elton John and The Beatles and was rarely available to young, unsigned bands. Trident’s popularity was such that the studio was usually fully booked during the day, meaning Queen could only record during what was known as ‘downtime’, those rare moments when the studio was empty, usually at night.


Queen began work on the album in May 1972 and spent the next four months living a fractured, nocturnal existance. Evenings would be spent waiting around Soho until the studio was ready. An exhausted Queen would emerge from Trident several hours later.


“We’d work through the night and usually until 7am when the cleaners came in,” recalls Brian. “It was us just grabbing little bits of time.”


Says Roger: “You know, we just came in there right after Bowie had done Hunky Dory and Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and he did both of those albums back to back, two great albums. So, we were very pleased to be there, but when we were there, we’d arrive at three in the morning and then go on, for all the hours that we could grab. It was just a grind. I wouldn't say it was soul destroying because we were quite confident. We had a sort of innate, gentle arrogance, you know, we thought we were good and quite different.”


Queen recorded the album with Trident’s in-house co-producers, John Anthony and Roy Thomas Baker. Both were staunch advocates of Queen and had been instrumental in the band signing with Trident. However, the group quickly ran up against the studio’s rules and regulations.


Says Brian: “Although we had great technology around us, we really didn’t have much freedom to use it. We were regarded as the new boys who didn’t know anything, and nobody really wanted to listen to the way we wanted to do things.”


While relatively inexperienced, Queen already had a clear musical vision. However, the huge guitar and drum sounds they heard in their heads proved difficult to recreate at two o’clock in the morning and on the studio’s in-house perspex drum kit rather than their own.


Says Roger: “They had this very dead drum sound, and it was never the sound we wanted. They had a drum booth, and it was a well known sound. It was kind of American. Very dry, quite fat, dead sound, which is not what I wanted. I wanted to hear the drums resonate,  to hear the sound of the drum. I didn't even have my proper kit in there. It was a bit rough really. So the album never sounded as we wanted it to.”


“We wanted everything to sound like it was in-your face,” says Brian. “We had this incredible fight to get the drums out of the booth and into the middle of the studio and put the mics all around the room.”


But that wasn’t Trident’s way. “I remember saying to Roy Thomas Baker, 'This isn't really the sound we want,’” continues Brian.”And he said, 'Don't worry, we can fix it all in the mix.’ And I think we all knew it ain't going to happen." Now in 2024, it has been ‘fixed in the mix’.


Queen’s frustration was compounded by the fact that the songs themselves already displayed the breadth of Queen’s ideas and vaulting ambition. “Keep Yourself Alive”, was like a rallying cry, cueing up the likes of “Doing All Right”, “Great King Rat”, “Liar”, “Modern Times Rock’n’Roll” and “Son And Daughter”.


Meanwhile, Freddie’s imagination had free rein on the biblically-inspired “Jesus” and on “My Fairy King”, where the singer (who was soon to assume the stage name ‘Freddie Mercury’) sang about “horses born with eagles’ wings” and implored “Mother Mercury, look what they’ve done to me.”


“I never knew where some of those lyrics came from,” says Roger. “But Fred was like a magpie. He had a very sharp brain.”


Crucially, this new 2024 Mix version of Queen I now includes “Mad The Swine”, a song absent from the original LP after a difference of opinion between the band and one of its producers. It is now reinstated to its rightful place as the album’s fourth song, in between “Great King Rat” and “My Fairy King”, just as Queen wanted it to be in 1972.  


Despite the restrictions imposed upon them at Trident, the band still managed to break the rules. Brian’s composition (and the box set’s first single), “The Night Comes Down”, blueprinted that layered acoustic and electric guitar sound that was soon to become part of Queen’s signature. But the band insisted on using a recording from De Lane Lea Studios rather than attempt a new version at Trident. They smuggled in their demo multi-track tape in a newly labelled ‘Trident’ box in order to mix the song for the album.


CD2: De Lane Lea Demos – 2024 Mix explores Queen I’s fascinating pre-history, with brand new 2024 mixes of the demos the band recorded preceding their album. In the summer 1969, Brian and Roger’s pre-Queen group, Smile, had recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London’s Kingsway. Two years later, the company opened a new complex in Wembley and needed a band to help them test the mixing desks and the sound quality of the different rooms.


Brian and Roger volunteered Queen, and the band spent time at the studio between November 1971 and January 1972 – “a massive thrill,” Brian recalls. They were repaid with a five-song demo, overseen by De Lane Lea’s chief engineer Louie Austin, and containing “Keep Yourself Alive”, “The Night Comes Down”, “Jesus”, “Liar”, and “Great King Rat".


“The demos we made at De Lane Lea Studios were closer to what we dreamed of,” explains Brian. “Nice open drum sounds and ambience on the guitar. That was much more the way we wanted it to go.”


“We were young and had total blind faith in what we were doing,” says Roger.


Although these demos were intended to be hawked around to procure a recording contract, the band says Brian, always felt the performances had more spontaneity and sparkle, as well as the benefit of more natural sounds compared with the final album versions. As, the only surviving copies of the mixes of the demos are on scratched acetates, here for the first time, these self-produced recordings have been restored and remixed from the original multitracks.


CD3: Queen I Sessions, and CD4: Queen I Backing Tracks, take the listener behind the scenes at both Trident and De Lane Lea studios.


CD3: Sessions collate completely different and 100% previously unreleased versions of the songs on the album. Newly created using out-takes from De Lane Lea and Trident. They feature some false starts, guide vocals, backing tracks and alternative takes, including spoken-word segments in which the members of Queen can be heard chatting and joking (“It was you Bulsara!”) and occasionally expressing their frustration. Many of the takes are built around acoustic guitar, the electric would have been added later, which gives a different feel to these versions.


CD4: Queen I Backing Tracks offers mixes of the songs from the original Queen album without lead vocals.


Queen pitched the De Lane Lea demos to several record companies but didn’t sign with any, hence their deal with Trident. The album was pretty much completed in 1972. But Queen and their producers were still arguing about the mix right up until the last day, so much so that the band chose a mix of “Keep Yourself Alive”, created with Trident’s assistant engineer Mike Stone, rather than one of the earlier versions. Mike would go on to engineer the next five Queen albums.


Trident pitched Queen’s debut to labels, and eventually signed the band to EMI in the UK and Elektra in the US. Elektra’s founder, Jac Holzman, attended Queen’s date at London’s Marquee club on April 9, 1973. The box set’s book includes an entry from Roger’s diary about the gig: “Went down a storm… Jac Holzman liked it!” Holzman circulated a memo to his staff declaring, “I have seen the future of pop music, and it’s a band called Queen.”


Queen’s debut wasn’t released until July 13, 1973 in the UK and September 4 in the US, increasing their frustration. Queen were “hugely ambitious and unashamedly so,” said Roger Taylor, and had progressed rapidly over the previous twelve months. The LP’s sleevenotes implied as much with the curt note: “Representing at least something of what Queen’s music has been over the last three years.”


EMI issued “Keep Yourself Alive” as a single a week before the album’s UK release, but radio play proved hard to come by. Someone was listening, though.


CD5: Queen I At The BBC, begins with “My Fairy King,” in a slightly different version recorded for DJ and early Queen champion John Peel’s BBC Radio 1 show Sounds Of The Seventies in February 1973, five months before the LP’s release. As no-one had heard their album yet, the band took in backing tracks and added new vocals and other overdubs for this first session.  This was the first time Queen’s music had been broadcast anywhere in the world. Three further BBC sessions are preserved here, with new versions of all of Queen I’s songs broadcast by the BBC between February 1973 and April 1974.


What CD5 ‘Queen I At The BBC’ and CD6, ‘Queen I Live’, demonstrate is how these songs grew and developed away from Trident Studios.


CD6: Queen I Live distills the best performances of the first album’s songs from Queen’s triumphant March 1974 headline date at London’s Rainbow Theatre, plus several previously unreleased tracks added. These include the first official release of “Hangman”, a Free-inspired Mercury/May/Taylor/Deacon composition that was a mainstay of Queen’s early live shows, but was never recorded in the studio. This performance of “Hangman” comes from a show at the San Diego Sports Arena on the last night of the band’s US tour in March 1976.


The final songs on ‘Queen I Live’ revisit the historic moment Queen became Queen. Among the 108-page enclosed book’s many never-before-seen artifacts is Roger’s handwritten invitation to Queen’s first ever performance in London: “A private showing on Sunday August 23 [1970] at 7:30pm at Imperial College… lecture theatre A, level 5,” he writes.


Two songs from this historic show, “Jesus” and a cover of the Spencer Davis Group’s 1967 hit “I’m A Man”, have been retrieved from cassettes in the archive, and are the earliest Queen recordings in existence, even pre-dating John Deacon’s arrival in the band.


The final track on the original Queen album is the urgent-sounding one and a quarter-minute instrumental snippet of “Seven Seas Of Rhye”. The finished song wouldn’t appear until Queen II, and became a UK Top 10 hit. In a sense though, this abbreviated version’s frantic rhythms, hammering piano and orchestral-sounding guitar captures the spirit of Queen’s debut: it’s the sound of a restless, determined young band eager to take the next step.

During an appearance on the September 10 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet was asked by host Eddie Trunk about the status of the band's long-in-the-works official documentary. He responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "It's a slow process. What we're trying to do is make it really different and special and unique from any other rock doc out there. Most rock docs are the history of the band, a lot of band footage, which is great, but we wanted to incorporate the fans' perspective and people like yourself, to get your perspective on the band. And we interviewed a lot of people. We still are planning to interview a lot more people. And we're gonna have a lot of footage of the band and interviews of the band, but it's gonna be a very special documentary. And when people see it, I think they'll understand that, when it's final. That won't be probably… We'll go into editing end of — probably in middle to end of next year. It'll come out by '26. I don't think it'll come out in late '25. It'll be more like early early '26. But it's gonna be powerful, man. It's gonna really be great."

STRYPER's 40th-anniversary tour dates will kick off September 11 in Greenville, Tennessee and conclude November 16 in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

STRYPER's 40th-anniversary tour will be a celebration of both classic hits and new-era fan favorites, including outfit changes and an exciting new show production. In most cities, this will be a two-set "evening with"-style show.

In December, Sweet underwent partial thyroidectomy, the surgery to remove part of his thyroid gland. It is the most common surgery for thyroid cancer.

Formed 41 years ago, STRYPER's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen", "God Damn Evil", "Even The Devil Believes", "The Final Battle" and "When We Were Kings".

Michael is joined in STRYPER by his brother Robert Sweet (drums),Oz Fox (guitar) and Perry Richardson (bass).

STRYPER's "To Hell With The Amps: The Unplugged Tour" kicked off in late May. For the first time ever, the Christian rockers staged a full tour where they performed their hits and fan favorites acoustically.

Photo credit: Alex Solca Photography

In Episode 5 of Behind The Summer Stadium Tour, Def Leppard rework the stage at Fenway Park, power through some rain and illness, soundcheck for the first time on tour and more. Watch below:





Def Leppard recently issued the following update:




"Vault and Def Leppard have announced a special zero issue for Hysteria, the forthcoming graphic novel co-written by Def Leppard guitarist Phil Collen and Eliot Rahal (Bleed Them Dry, The Vain, Midnight Vista), with illustrations by Alex Schlitz (Sagas of the Shield Maiden), colors by Fabi Marques (Barbaric, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), and letters by Andworld Design. This extra-special single issue offering will give readers an early look at the much anticipated forthcoming graphic novel.


"Included in the Hysteria zero issue release will be a hyper-limited foil variant edition signed by Def Leppard’s Phil Collen himself. Each signed copy will come with a CGC witnessed certificate of authenticity. Only 100 copies of the signed edition will be available, and can only be found in local comic shops. Pre-orders are open now and can be placed at your local comic shop."


Find your local shop

In a new interview with Andrew McKaysmith of Australia's Scars And Guitars podcast, IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris spoke about his working relationship with MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson, particularly as it relates to the two of them being the most prominent public figures within the band. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, I've always encouraged whatever band I've been in or whatever I've done in the past, even before that, it's always really the frontman that you wanna push as being the key focal figure, really. I mean, it was only because, say, Paul [Di'Anno, former IRON MAIDEN singer] wasn't really that active on stage — he had a great stage presence, but he wasn't really very active on stage. So, you kind of, I would not say compensate, but you just fill in for whatever. When Bruce came along, he was a full-on frontman. And also Bruce does a lot of the interviews, and he's out there speaking to mainstream media. I'm not so good with them… He's a bit different with mainstream media — he's good at doing the mainstream media — so we get him focused on that. And also with him being a pilot and all these other things, it gives him more of a profile when [it comes to dealing with the media] than the rest of us. I'm totally happy with that because I don't really see the limelight anyway… I don't court mainstream media. I've been asked to do loads of things on mainstream media, and unless it's got a purpose, like I've been asked to do lots of football programs, for example, and I don't really do them unless there's a tour coming up or an album coming up and it's something that's important for us to promote or whatever. Then maybe I'll do it, but just to go and do stuff just for the sake of it, celeb-type stuff, I'm not into that. I've never been into that side. That's not me. But that doesn't mean to say that someone else can't do it, and Bruce is good at that stuff. And so it all works."

IRON MAIDEN kicked off the 2024 Australian leg of "The Future Past" tour on September 1 at the RAC Arena in Perth.

"The Future Past" tour, which includes songs from both IRON MAIDEN's most recent studio album "Senjutsu" as well as 1986’s seminal album "Somewhere In Time", alongside other fan favorites, played to over 750,000 fans at more than 30 sold-out shows across Europe in the summer of 2023. The band also performed in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver alongside their highly praised appearance at California's Power Trip festival last October which had Consequence stating: "IRON MAIDEN set the bar high at Power Trip" and The Desert Sun saying "IRON MAIDEN didn't disappoint and delivered a hard-hitting performance to open the festival on a high note." Featuring one of the most spectacular stage productions of the band's career, it has received rave reviews in every city and country that IRON MAIDEN visited.

In a separate interview with Australia's "Everblack" podcast, Harris was asked if there is any new music from IRON MAIDEN on the way. The bassist responded: "No, not at the moment. There's nothing in the works at the moment. But that's not to say there won't be.

"Bruce has only just done his solo tour. So he spent quite a long time just doing that. So, I don't know. Yeah. I mean, maybe we'll find time to cram [a new album] in somewhere. You never know."

MAIDEN's latest album, "Senjutsu", was released in September 2021 via BMG. The band's first LP in six years was recorded in 2019 in Paris with longstanding producer Kevin Shirley and co-produced by Harris. It features three tracks whose running time exceeds 10 minutes each.

For "Senjutsu" — loosely translated as "tactics and strategy" — the band once again enlisted the services of Mark Wilkinson to create the spectacular Samurai-themed cover artwork, based on an idea by Harris.

In the U.S., "Senjutsu" bowed at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart, charting higher than even the band's early classics like "Powerslave" and "The Number Of The Beast". Nearly 90 percent of the LP's 64,000 equivalent album units earned came from pure album sales. The critically acclaimed double album debuted one place higher than 2015's "The Book Of Souls" and 2010's "The Final Frontier", which both peaked at No. 4.

"Senjutsu" was MAIDEN's 13th album to top in the Top 40 in the U.S.

According to Billboard, "Senjutsu" logged the second-largest week of 2021 for a hard rock album in both equivalent album units earned and in traditional album sales.

"Senjutsu" topped the charts in several European countries upon its release, including in Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.

Foghat have announced that their new album (and first in seven years), Sonic Mojo, has been submitted for a Grammy Award nomination.


Says Foghat: "We are absolutely blown away to announce that SONIC MOJO has been submitted for a Grammy® Nomination in the Contemporary Blues Album category (we are in some pretty heavy company). Wow...this has never happened to us before, so to say we are thrilled and honored is an understatement! Voting for the nominations takes place in early October and the nominees will be announced in early November! So, fingers crossed and wish us luck ! Thank you! Roger, Bryan, Scott & Rodney!"







Upon its release, Sonic Mojo soared to the top spot of the Billboard “Blues Albums” chart, where it didn't leave the Top 10 for 26 weeks. It’s the first time the band—which originated in 1971—has ever landed at #1 on any of Billboard’s charts after a new album release.


Sonic Mojo was released on their own label, Foghat Records, and is distributed by Select-O-Hits (part of the Sun Records family) in the US by Proper Music in the U.K., and in Europe via Metalville Records. It’s available in various formats including a single CD boasting 12 electrifying tracks in a stunning six-page digipak and digital copies here. For vinyl enthusiasts, there’s a limited edition 180gram, neon purple vinyl version featuring 11 tracks and a gatefold jacket. Plus, extra special CD and vinyl bundles, complete with exclusive merchandise, can be found here.





Sonic Mojo tracklisting:


"She’s A Little Bit Of Everything"
"I Don’t Appreciate You"
"Mean Woman Blues"
"Drivin’ On"
"Let Me Love You Baby"
"How Many More Years"
"Song For Life"
"Wish I’d A Been There"
"Time Slips Away"
"Black Days & Blue Nights"
"She’s Dynamite" (only available on CD)
"Promised Land"

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess has once again weighed in on a debate about people using artificial intelligence (A.I.) to create music. Asked by Italy's Metal.it if he has any fears about this new technology, Jordan said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "One of the companies that I work with very closely is called Moises. It's a very interesting company. They're mostly known for their work in track separation, and musicians all around the world use it. Because basically the way that it works is that you can upload to their system a stereo audio file or even a video, and then when it's within their system, the system can take it apart. So let's say you upload a DREAM THEATER song, and then when it comes back to you, you can decide: I wanna have the vocals, the piano, the bass, the drums, the lead guitar, the acoustic guitar. You can separate it. It's like having access to all the individual tracks. It's kind of a modern-day musical miracle, really, the way that it works. And there's some different companies that work in track separation, but Moises is pretty much the top of the game. It's incredible. But not only that. So after they kind of put their track separation out into the world, then they started to develop the system even further, to the point where now it does things like — well, first of all, pitch and time are completely flexible. You can have things playing back at different pitches, but maintain the tempo of the music. But it also has gotten really good at showing you the chords exactly on the beat where they fall in the music, and it's getting very accurate as well, which is really great. Plus the idea or the implementation of being able to separate the sections of the music so somebody who's learning a piece can say, 'I just wanna hear the verse,' and loop the verse, maybe the verse into the bridge and connect those two and loop them seamlessly."

He continued: "The reason I bring them up is because I love the technology but also because all the musicians around the world that use this, some of them have this idea that A.I. is a bad thing, but they don't even know that Moises is built on A.I. This is the technology that is the framework for everything that Moises does. I'm sorry to be the bringer of bad news to somebody who's against A.I. but now learning a piece of music using it."

Addressing the original question, Rudess added: "First of all, I believe more and more that artificial intelligence is a very bad name for this technology. There's a lot of other ways to think about it. There's nothing really artificial about it. We should go back in time, really, and change that. It's leading people down the wrong thought process to think about what's actually going on with the tool and how these things are put together."

He continued: "All that said, there's a lot of concern in the music business from people about their rights, how these models have been instructed or loaded in with different songs and styles, and rightly so. People, musicians are concerned. They feel like this is not maybe fair. Maybe their music is being loaded into a computer without their permission. All these kinds of things are really, really important to figure out. This is all legal matters which need to be resolved in a big way. It's gonna take time, and honestly, even though I am aware, sympathetic and also concerned, this is not my specialty, that kind of thing. My specialty is in thinking, okay, well, you have this new technology. How can we use it to make more expressive instruments? How can we use it to have more musical fun? How can we engage more people into the beauty of making music themselves? And how can I use it to just kind of like extend what I do in the musical world and do things that have never been possible before, and also be one of the people who kind of helps to steer it in directions that are most valuable to the future of music and music technology. So that's really important to me. That's one of the reasons I'm really excited about the work that I'm doing with MIT [Center for Art, Science & Technology], because they have some beautiful minds there that are thinking in positive ways about how you can take this technology, the technology that's available to us today, and do amazing, beneficial, cool, important, educational, entertaining things with it."

Rudess is collaborating with the MIT Media Lab's Responsive Environments research group. Rudess's main partners in the enterprise are Media Lab graduate students Lancelot Blanchard, who expolores musical applications of generative A.I. (informed by his own studies in classical piano),and Perry Naseck, an artist and engineer specializing in interactive, kinetic, light- and time-based media. Overseeing the project is Joseph Paradiso, Alexander W. Dreyfoos (1954) professor at the Media Lab, and head of the Responsive Environments group, whose team has a tradition of investigating musical frontiers through novel user interfaces, sensor networks and unconventional data sets.

Rudess is a keyboardist known for his work with the platinum-selling, Grammy-winning progressive metal band DREAM THEATER, which embarks this fall on a 40th-anniversary tour. He is also a solo artist whose latest album, "Permission To Fly", was released on September 6; an educator who shares his skills through detailed online tutorials; and the founder of software company Wizdom Music. His work combines a rigorous classical foundation (he began his piano studies at Juilliard at age 9) with a genius for improvisation and an appetite for experimentation.

American progressive metal band Cynic's 2010 Re-Traced EP will be available on 12" vinyl for the first time ever, including a memorial tribute track to the late Sean Malone.


Cynic was formed in Miami, Florida by Paul Masvidal in 1987, incorporating elements of progressive rock, alternative, and metal. Their debut album, Focus, was released in 1993, after which they disbanded in 1994. The comeback in 2006 resulted in the sophomore album, Traced in Air (2008), of which the four first songs on Re-Traced are re-interpretations of. Svart Records in co-operation with Cynic now proudly present Re-Traced reborn on a 12" vinyl, including three alternative versions of the songs and liner notes by Martin Popoff.


Paul Masvidal comments the reissue:  “Seeing Re-Traced pressed on a legit 12” vinyl is an exciting first, especially with the inclusion of bonus tracks like Sean Malone’s beautiful, never-before-released bass rendition of 'Wheels Within Wheels' and his magical performance on 'Integral', which I initially released digitally as a memorial tribute to him. The electronic renditions of Traced In Air tracks like 'Space', 'Evolutionary' and 'King' take the songs into entirely new realms. It’s also synchronistic that I’m now playing these songs in my solo acoustic ambient shows, finally bringing them into a live format. Altogether, it feels quite special to see these two records reborn.”




​​​​​​​


Re-Traced is available on Svart exclusive Natural/Gold Smoke vinyl, limited turquoise vinyl, and classic black vinyl on February 14, 2025. Pre-order here.


Cynic's third full length offering, Kindly Bent To Free Us, is their final album to feature original drummer Sean Reinert and long time member Sean Malone on bass, who both passed away in 2020. Originally released on a 2LP version and mastered at 45rpm, Svart Records in co-operation with Cynic now proudly present the single LP edition of the album including a bonus track "Earth Is My Witness" for the first time on vinyl and a booklet with linter notes by Martin Popoff, lyrics, notation to the song Kindly Bent To Free Us, and more.


Paul Masvidal comments on the reissue: “Kindly Bent To Free Us is reborn on vinyl for its 10th anniversary. This record holds a special place in my heart for many reasons. First, the songs and the journey they take, exploring inner realms as represent

San Jose thrash/power metallers, Taunted, have issued the following statement, announcing their new lineup:


"We are proud to announce the new lineup of Taunted has been solidified. Along with vocalist Jacques Serrano and guitarist Joey Genoni, we welcome back bassist Pete Aguilar (ex-Cultural Warfare, ex-Desecrater) and drummer Lenny Silva (ex-From Hell, ex-Cultural Warfare).


"Pete and Lenny have decades of experience and it is good to have strong partners we trust that add consistency and musicianship to the sound of Taunted.




"We look forward to several tasks to accomplish before the end of 2024 including a special show with Maiden England at Toots Tavern in Crocket, CA on November 15th, and a mighty show with Death Angel on their annual X-Mas show December 13th! A new EP is in the works and will be released in early 2025."

BraveWords Records is excited to announce the signing of Jack Starr for a new solo album, Out Of The Darkness Pt 2, to be released in 2025.


Jack talks about signing with BraveWords Records and the upcoming album: "I have been a fan of BraveWords for a long time and thought it was great that they started a record label, I knew that the label would be well run and professional like the magazine and website, so for me it was a no brainer to be on that label and have them put out my new album.


"As far as what the album will be like, it is a combining of old school metal with the great vocals of Giles Lavery, who is one of the best of the new metal vocalists who have recently emerged on the scene. The album also has two of the best metal drummers in metal, Rhino and Mark Zonder. The rock solid bass playing is provided by Gene Cooper, veteran of many NYC bands. Jimmy Waldo the virtuoso keyboardist is also featured as well as Eric Juris who played brilliant guitar thru out the album contributing harmonies, leads and rhythms. Thomas Mergler played great guitar as well and whose brilliant production gave it a clean modern Euro sound while still keeping the old school metal sound that Jack Starr is known for."




"Metal" Tim Henderson from BraveWords Records on signing Jack Starr: "What a historical addition to BraveWords Records, the ultra talented Jack Starr who brings a wealth of skill and music industry savvy to the label that dates back nearly 50 years."


About Jack Starr:


Starr emerged on the rock and metal scene in 1981, forming, together with Joey Ayvazian, David DeFeis and Joe O’Rielly, the first incarnation of the heavy metal band Virgin Steele. The new band was selected in 1982 by Mike Varney of Shrapnel Records to appear on the label's compilation album U.S. Metal Volume 2. After only two albums, Virgin Steele of 1981 and Guardians of the Flame of 1982, Starr left Virgin Steele in 1983.


In 1984, Starr started his solo recording career with the album Out of the Darkness, featuring former Riot vocalist Rhett Forrester, members of The Rods and former Rainbow drummer Gary Driscoll. It was released in Europe by Music for Nations and was picked as one of the best albums of the year by the music magazines Kerrang! and Metal Forces.


Starr changed the name of his band to Jack Starr's Burning Starr and between 1984 and 1989 he produced albums, both solo and with the band. The music of those albums was classic American eighties heavy metal, a style between Poison and Metallica. In 1989 the band dissolved and Starr joined short-lived bands like Strider and Smoke Stack Lightning.


In the following years, Starr once again assembled a group of musicians for a new incarnation of Burning Starr, which performed at the Magic Circle Festival 2008 and released the album Defiance on Manowar's label Magic Circle Music in 2009. In 2011 they released Land of the Dead with Limb Music. The albums includes ex-Manowar guest musicians Ross the Boss and David Shankle. The band played at the 2013 Keep It True festival and recorded a DVD.


About BraveWords Records:


There is a serious void which desperately needs to be filled, hard-working and creative bands that have yet to find a partnership and a mutual vision with a professional team. The music-fuelled minds behind BraveWords Records, Brian Adams, Giles Lavery, Tim Henderson and Michael Brandvold, have built the ultimate home for an artist that will take you where you want to be. Collectively, with nearly 100 years of music industry experience under our belts, the BraveWords Records team will take care of all the crucial aspects of your project from global distribution (digital and physical), publicity and media coverage (web, radio, visual), social media blanketing and streaming opportunities (such as Streaming For Vengeance). Where most labels have forgotten the concept of actually marketing a release sensibly, BraveWords Records will construct a viable and comprehensive marketing plan, including visibility at BraveWords.com, which attracts a million visitors monthly. BraveWords Records has all senses on high alert as the music industry continues its never-ending transitioning, so the artist will always be aware of new opportunities to build their brand and strive for world domination. Br

In a new interview with Revolver magazine, SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian was asked to name his most embarrassing onstage moment. He replied: "On one of my birthdays, we were in Pittsburgh playing a show. In the early days of SYSTEM, I'd have a drink or a smoke before going onstage — it would loosen me up and I'd be fine. Then I stopped smoking pot for a long period of time. On that birthday, Daron [Malakian, SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist] called me onto his bus and said, 'Bro, let's have a bong hit together before the show.' He regrets that bong hit forever at this point, because I got really stoned. I got so stoned that I heard all of our music as dance music when we got onstage."

He continued: "I couldn't decipher the songs from each other, so therefore I didn't know the lyrics to any of the songs. It was the fucking most embarrassing show ever. They'd be playing a ballad and I'd be screaming. Then they'd play a heavy song and I'd be mumbling — to the point where the audience were asking me to please not forget the lyrics to the next song. And anytime I would go to one of the guys for help with the lyrics, I'd see them mouthing the lyrics but not hear them — and then I'd just start laughing. But I was so stoned that I didn't give a shit. Afterward, I felt bad for the band and the crowd. The band had never been so disappointed."

This past July, Serj released the official music video for his solo single "Justice Will Shine On". The track is taken from Tankian's upcoming solo EP, "Foundations", which is due on September 27 via Gibson Records.

The 57-year-old Lebanese-born Armenian-American musician and songwriter, who spent the last few months promoting his autobiography "Down With The System", told Metal Hammer magazine about the EP: "The reason I'm putting it out is that archival nature of writing a book made me look into songs from different periods of time. So one of the songs is from early SYSTEM days, for example, that I've never put out, that I'd never worked with SYSTEM on. A couple of the songs are from my early 2007-2008 solo record period, but didn't fit the record ['Elect The Dead', released in October 2007].

"It's an interesting retrospective of rock music that I've never released from different times, and it's called 'Foundations' basically because it's the founding of my musical life," Serj added. "They're very interesting songs, very different from each other: one is really heavy, one is like, really progressive, there's just different elements to each of them. But I think they work in tandem."

The first single from "Foundations" , a song called "A.F. Day", was made available on May 17 digitally everywhere via Gibson Records.

"Down With The System" was released on May 14 via Hachette Books.

Tankian is best known as the lead singer of the Grammy Award-winning rock band SYSTEM OF A DOWN, but he is also a solo artist, composer, activist, painter, poet, and filmmaker. Since launching on to the rock scene in 1993, he's performed for millions of fans and sold more than 42 million albums worldwide. He's also a proud Armenian-American and a dedicated activist; along with Tom Morello, Tankian co-founded the non-profit organization Axis Of Justice, which strived to bring together musicians, music fans, and grassroots political organizations to fight for social justice. He has composed scores for many films and television series, had his paintings exhibited in galleries in the U.S. and New Zealand, and released two books of his own poetry. He has also been an executive producer on multiple documentaries, including "I Am Not Alone", which tells the story of Armenia's 2018 revolution and which won awards at the Toronto International Film Festival, DOC NYC, American Film Institute Festival, and the Palm Springs International Film Festival, among others. Tankian lives with his wife and his son, splitting their time between Los Angeles and New Zealand.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN has toured intermittently since ending its hiatus in 2011, but has only managed to record two songs in the last 19 years, "Protect The Land" and "Genocidal Humanoidz". Released in November 2020, the tracks were motivated by the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, with all proceeds supporting humanitarian efforts in SYSTEM OF A DOWN's ancestral homeland of Armenia. Along with other donations from fans on their social pages, they raised over $600,000.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN co-headlined a one-off concert with DEFTONES at the Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California on August 17.

Former WHITESNAKE and DIO and current THE DEAD DAISIES guitarist Doug Aldrich has been diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer and will undergo surgery this week. As a result, he will not be able to take part in THE DEAD DAISIES' upcoming European tour and will be temporarily replaced by Reb Beach (WHITESNAKE, WINGER).

Earlier today, THE DEAD DAISIES released the following statement via social media: "Hi, to all DAISIES fans. We have some crappy news we'd like to share… Unfortunately Doug has been diagnosed with a treatable throat cancer and has to undergo surgery this week. Moving forward, Doug will not be available for the next run and subsequently long-time good friend & band mate from the WHITESNAKE days, Reb Beach, will be filling in for the upcoming European dates. Please join us in wishing Doug all the best for a speedy recovery. We look forward to having him back on deck really soon. We'll keep you posted!"

Last year, Aldrich confirmed that a previously unreleased Ronnie James Dio song which he was working on with the legendary heavy metal singer before his 2010 death will be included on an upcoming Dio collection of never-before-heard and obscure recordings. The track in question was written during the sessions for DIO's "Magica II", a sequel to 2000's "Magica" that was left unfinished when Ronnie died in 2010. Another "Magica II" track titled "Electra" made it on to 2012's "The Very Best of Dio Vol 2".

Aldrich was a member of WHITESNAKE from 2002 to 2014 before leaving to spend more time with his family. The guitarist played on two WHITESNAKE studio albums, 2008's "Good To Be Bad" and 2011's "Forevermore", and appeared on several live releases, including 2013's "Made In Japan" and "Made In Britain/The World Records".

Aldrich left WHITESNAKE 10 years ago, saying in a statement that he "had several recording and live commitments," so he "needed a more flexible schedule to conclude these before going full force as normal." He added: "Unfortunately, my schedule was not workable."

Having also played with LION, HOUSE OF LORDS, BAD MOON RISING, HURRICANE and Glenn Hughes, Aldrich joined THE DEAD DAISIES in 2016 and can be heard on that band's last five albums, 2016's "Make Some Noise", 2018's "Burn It Down", 2021's "Holy Ground", 2022's "Radiance" and 2024's "Light 'Em Up".

Hi, to all Daisies fans. We have some crappy news we’d like to share…
Unfortunately Doug has been diagnosed with a...

Posted by The Dead Daisies on Tuesday, September 24, 2024

Dutch blackened death metal outfit MISANTHROPIA unveils their latest macabre masterpiece with the video for “River Dumplings,” a track from their critically acclaimed album “Envy The Dead,” out now via Wormholedeath. In true Misanthropia style, this grim tale weaves through history’s darkest corners, unraveling the sinister story of Amelia Dyer, the notorious Victorian-era “baby farmer.”


In the shadowy corners of Victorian England, darkness didn’t only lurk in the city’s damp dungeons or hidden sewers. Even the quiet villages concealed unspeakable horrors. One such darkness came in the form of Amelia Dyer, a trained nurse who twisted the trust placed in her.

For 30 years, Dyer preyed upon society’s most vulnerable—infants. Paid to care for them, she instead let hundreds perish from malnutrition, neglect, and worse. When their lives were snuffed out, they were wrapped tightly, as if in a grim ritual, and tossed into rivers like discarded parcels. Strangled by white cords, these “bundles of joy” floated in canals and bays, victims of a system and a woman who should have protected them.

What awaited these children was not just humanity’s apathy, but perhaps something darker. Lurking in the waters were monstrous beings—figures that weren’t entirely human. Were they the twisted manifestation of Dyer’s evil, or something else? Not all monsters wear men’s faces; some wear the guise of women.

Stream the Full Album “Envy The Dead” Here: orcd.co/envythedead

MISANTHROPIA is no stranger to sonic devastation. For over 20 years, they’ve carved a path through the metal scene with their unique blend of Blackened fury and Death Metal aggression. Their longstanding partnership with legendary producer/engineer MIKE WEAD (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond) continues on ‘ENVY THE DEAD’, ensuring a potent and punishing listening experience.

“Envy The Dead” is a concept album that conjures a dark, gritty atmosphere inspired by historical horrors like Jack The Ripper and necromancy. Moving away from symphonic elements, it embraces a progressive Death/Thrash vibe with influences from Dimmu Borgir, Cradle of Filth, Necrophobic, Mayhem, and Death. Mike Wead (Mercyful Fate, King Diamond) is behind the engineering, mixing, and mastering.

Line up:
Bram Koller-Rythm Guitars and Vocals
Dennis Schoenmaker-Rythm And Lead Guitars
Pepijn Heilbron-Bass
Hugo de Waal-Drums

Metal guitarist and composer Manuel Barbará is excited to release his latest video for the track “Aphelion” – premiered exclusively through BraveWords – off the recently released EP Whisper In A Storm. The song features Michael Nystrom Bala, the 80s half of Necronomicon Ex Mortis’ guitars. The single showcases Barbará’s signature blend of heavy metal aggression and classical music’s formal, harmonic concepts. 


He shares his thoughts on the track:


“‘Aphelion’ is designed to be heavy and scary. It was super cool to design two similar solo sections that I could split with my dear friend Mike. The original idea for this song was ‘What if I took a straightforward unga-bunga riff and made it weirder and weirder every time it happens.’ I think it really features the difference in our styles. I hope someone moshes to this one.”







The single starts with a big stomp intro with slightly alien harmony and goes through a process of transformation and fragmentation until it comes back to its original form and immediately falls apart again. The two solos, by Barbará and Bala, contrast one another very nicely.


“Aphelion” represents a perfect balance between technical prowess and emotional depth. Barbara's intricate guitar work forms the foundation of the track, while Bala's guest solo adds a layer of intensity that elevates the composition to new heights. The result is a journey through musical textures that captivate and challenge listeners in equal measure. It is recommended for fans of Meshuggah, Keith Merrow, and Monuments.


Whisper In A Storm EP is available digitally  here.





Tracklisting:


"Dead Hand" (feat. Jody Miller)
"A Different Horizon" (feat. Jake Howsam L

Japan's Lovebites made their US live debut at ProgPower USA 2024 on September 6th, held at Center Stage, in Atlanta, GA. Check out fan-filmed video of their entire set below.


Setlist:


"The Awakening" 
"The Hammer of Wrath" 
"When Destinies Align"
"Unchained"
"Stand and Deliver (Shoot 'em Down)" 
"Shadowmaker" 
"Judgement Day" 
"Set the World on Fire" 
"Raise Some Hell" 
"Soldier Stands Solitarily" 
"Glory to the World" 
"Don't Bite the Dust" 
"Rising" 
"M.D.O." 
"Holy War" 
"We the United"







Lovebites recently released Memorial For The Warrior Souls, a live Blu-ray/2DVD/2CD set which features the live show from Hitomi Memorial Hall. Check out the live video for the smooth power ballad "Edge Of The World" - taken from their 2017 debut full-length Awakening The World.





A limited edition of the live set includes a re-recorded edition of the band’s debut EP plus new songs – titled Lovebites EP II. 


All of the songs from the latest full-length album Judgement Day, which was ranked at position #5 on Oricon weekly chart, was made after bassist Fami joined the band, therefore Lovebites EP II is the true first work by the current lineup. As its title suggests, this second installment of the band's 2017 debut, The Lovebites EP, is a truly "Lovebites 2.0" album from the band that has continued to update their selves since its debut. While The Lovebites EP featured a photo of a denim battle jacket, the cover art for Lovebites EP II features a photo of a white leather jacket in the band's signature color, adorned with gold studs and band logo patch, creating a striking impact.





In creating the five completely new songs that will be included, the band listened to their 2017 debut, The Lovebites EP, over and over again. It was a magical work of four simple, yet very different types of songs, each with its own distinct personality, yet somehow consistent when viewed as the EP as a whole. With a renewed sense of that initial impulse, the now grown-up Lovebites have succeeded in swallowing the atmosphere of the songs from their debut and creating this work that is unbalanced in a good way, yet miraculously balanced.


The limited edition A comes with the Re-Lovebites EP, a 4-song CD re-recorded from The Lovebites EP with the current lineup. (*The English version of "Bravehearted" is used.) The B and C come with a Blu-ray and DVD, respectively, consisting of a music video of the lead track and a making-of video showing the filming of the music video.


On the other hand, the latest live Blu-ray/2DVD/2CD Memorial For The Warrior Souls are a complete recording of the live performance at Showa Women's University Hitomi Memorial Hall in Tokyo on September 24 during the Judgement Day Tour held in 2023. The video was edited completely differently from the livestreamed performance on that day, allowing the viewer to see the detailed movements and facial expressions of each member. 


The live audio has also been mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila at legendary Finnvox Studio. And it includes five songs from their fourth album Judgment Day that have never been performed live before. The BR & DVD include a bonus one-hour documentary that follows the band on their seven-city tour of Fukuoka, Sendai, Sapporo, Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Yokohama. Fans ou

Florida’s own power metal force, Seven Kingdoms, has signed with Reigning Phoenix Music. This exciting partnership marks a new chapter for the band, kicking off with the release of their upcoming EP, The Square, on November 8th, 2024.


In celebration of this announcement, Seven Kingdoms has dropped a brand-new single and accompanying music video for the EP’s title track, "The Square". The song delivers the band's signature blend of high-energy riffs, soaring vocals, and epic power metal melodies, while the video brings the track to life with a captivating, cinematic experience that fans are sure to love. 







Guitarist Camden Cruz comments "It’s an honor and privilege to join the RPM family alongside bands like Helloween, Kerry King, Meshuggah, Sonata Arctica and many more! We’ve been independent for some time, and we’re thrilled to join a team where that independence can coexist with a proper label. With this EP we have best of both worlds behind us and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship here with Reigning Phoenix Music!"


"The Square is our latest offering. In this EP we deliver a sampling of what sounds and feels we are aiming to bring to the next full release which will also come out on RPM late next year! We hope you love it as much as we do, and we will bring this material on our North American Headlining tour with Striker and Lutharo in November and December and also to Europe when we support Unleash The Archers in February and March 2025!"


Reigning Phoenix Music states: "RPM is very excited to start our new partnership with DMG (Distortion Music Group) and Maurizio Iacono, and offering a new song from Seven Kingdoms is a great way to kick it off!"


Manager Maurizio Iacono further adds: "With the new firepower that RPM will be providing to DMG artists, you can bet that American power metal sensation Seven Kingdoms will be making a lot of noise in the coming year. The Floridians are one of the fastest-rising heavy metal bands from North America, and we expect them to make waves worldwide with their virtuoso guitar skills, impressive vocal range, catchy anthems, and entertaining live shows."


Pre-Order The Square here. Artwork and tracklisting are as follows:





"The Square"    
"Through These Waves"    
"Wilted Pieces"    
"The Serpent And The Lotus"    
"Kyrie"


In addition to the EP's release, Seven Kingdoms will embark on an extensive touring schedule. The band will kick off a North American headlining tour in November and December, joined by Striker, Lutharo, and Osyron for select dates. Following that, they will support Unleash The Archers on a European tour in February and March 2025. 





November
9 - Boozers Rock Bar - Corpus Christi, TX  
10 - Come And Take It Live - Austin, TX 
11 - Haltom Theater - Haltom, TX
12 - 89th Street - Oklahoma City, OK
13 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM 
14 - Vultures - Colorado Springs, CO
16 - Last Exit Live - Phoenix, AZ 
17 - Sinwave - Las Vegas, NV
18 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA
19 - Knucklehead - Los Angeles, CA
20 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, CA
21 - Hawthorne Theater - Portland, OR
22 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
23 - Jacknife - Kelowna, BC
25 - Dicken’s - Calgary, AB 
26 - The Starlite Room - Edmonton, AB 
27 - The Black Cat - Saskatoon, SK 
28 - Sidestage - Winnipeg, MB 
30 - Reggies - Chicago, IL


December
1 - Sanctuary - Detroit, MI
3 - Meadows - Brooklyn, NY
4 - Metro - Baltimore, MD
5 - Hangar 1819 - Greensboro, NC
6 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
7 - The Orpheum - Tampa, FL
8 - Conduit - Orlando, FL






February
12 - Substage - Karlsruhe, Germany
13 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany
14 - Live Music Hall - Cologne, Germany
15 - De Kreun - Kortrijk, Belgium
16 - The Underwo

Mirka Rantanen's hard rock solo project, Circus Of Rock, has officially transformed into a real band. Previously, two albums, Come One, Come All (2021) and Lost Behind The Mask (2023), were released featuring several guest musicians and vocalists. Now, Rantanen explains why the project has turned into an official band:


"After releasing the second Circus Of Rock album, I considered whether this should be a real band, rather than just a record project with dozens of guest performers. I discussed it with the representative of the previous label, and again this summer with the current label. Everyone agreed that having a permanent lineup would help the band more effectively and secure more gigs, as it would be more evident to the audience what to expect from us. Managing multiple people and organizing shows is highly challenging because you never know who's available, making booking gigs nearly impossible. Moreover, projects with numerous singers and musicians are often perceived as just record projects, even though we did a small tour in Finland last spring with several vocalists."


"I had already lined up a bunch of guest singers for the next album, including some great artists, and I'm a little disappointed that won't happen now. I decided to go a different route, believing it was the right decision. Since this is Circus Of Rock, anything is possible." 




"We'll move forward like this and see what we can achieve. I'm really excited about this and confident that we'll hit the road by next year at the latest."


A strong lineup of musicians has been selected for the band. Rantanen has recruited Mark Boals, known for his work with Yngwie Malmsteen, Dokken, and Ted Nugent, as the lead singer.


"Mark was already on the second Circus Of Rock album, and since then, we've collaborated on a project called Red Ravyn. Mark is still an i

Modern hard rock torchbearers I Prevail are having a banner 2024. The band has just dropped the expanded edition of their latest album. True Power (Expanded) comes armed with a new song and three reimagined tracks. Get it here.


The updated version includes the recently released new single "Hate This Song," an arena-sized collab track with alt-pop royalty All Time Low, while album singles "Bad Things, "There's Fear in Letting Go," and "Deep End" are all stripped back. These familiar, fan favorites get quiet yet beautiful reimagined makeovers. "Deep End" is softly lush, while "Bad Things" brings the beats. Elsewhere, "There's Fear In Letting Go" will haunt you with its simple instrumentation. The reworkings retain the power of the originals and still land with incredible impact.


"We're excited to announce/release True Power (Expanded) edition," says Eric Vanlerberghe. "When writing and working on these songs, we had fun envisioning some of these songs in different ways. So instead of just giving you a few acoustic tracks, we reworked some of our favourite songs into something familiar yet different."




In other I Prevail news, the band's collab track with Halestorm, "can u see me in the dark?," just hit #1 on the rock radio charts. The song does not appear on the expanded edition of True Power. The bands performed the song live on their recent co-headline tour, which was one of the hottest tours of the summer.





True Power (Expanded) tracklisting:


"0:00"
"There’s Fear In Le

Swedish power metal band, The Storyteller, have signed a new record deal with Greek-based label, The Circle Music. Under the new agreement, the band will release their long-awaited and yet-untitled seventh full-length album.


“We are proud to announce the signing of Swedish heavy metallers The Storyteller”, said The Circle Music. “The Storyteller is the first heavy metal band to join The Circle. This was not done on purpose. Although we have focused on more extreme aspects of the dark sound, we have long expected something special from the field of traditional heavy/power metal, something that stood out and we found this in the new material of The Storyteller.


“Dreamy, fairytale, crystalline, hot and bombastic, their new songs will captivate traditional heavy metal fans looking for something more. Having already released six albums and with a long career in the concert scene, it's time for The Storyteller to take the big step with an album that picks up where their historic 2000 self-titled debut left off.”




Formed in 1998, the band signed their first record deal with Swedish label House Of Kicks which now goes with the name Sound Pollution. Their debut album, The Storyteller, was recorded in the legendary “Studio Fredman” and released in the spring of 2000.


Since then the band has released five more studio albums and made themselves known as one of Sweden's stronger acts in the power metal genre, touring as an opening act for bands like Helloween, Blind Guardian, Gamma Ray, Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Bruce Kulick (ex-KISS).


The Storyteller describe their music as power metal with medieval tunes, with lyrics that follow the fantasy genre. Storytelling is a trademark for the band, with the vision of taking the listener on a journey both musically and in lyrics.


After a period of "dormancy", The Storyteller has once again awoken with a new source of power that captured the vision that was present at the band’s inception. The collaboration between L-G Persson (vocals) and Cedrick Forsberg from Blazon Stone resulted in a new studio album being recorded and L-G Persson comments: “This is the production that managed to reach all the way. In this production, the music

In October, 2020, over 40 years after the founding members parted ways, The Damned announced a series of reunion shows with the original lineup consisting of Dave Vanian (vocals), Brian James (guitar), Captain Sensible (bass), and Rat Scabies (drums). Due to the pandemic, they were forced to postpone the shows until 2022. November 3, 2022, saw the band performing at the fully-packed O2 Apollo in Manchester, UK, delivering an energetic 21-song set taken from their first two albums, Damned Damned Damned and Music For Pleasure, the only albums to feature the four founding members.


This legendary reunion show is now available via earMUSIC, distributed by BFD/The Orchard in North America. AD 2022 – Live In Manchester can be accessed digitally for download and streaming, on 180g Black Double Vinyl, packed in a premium-quality gatefold jacket, as well as on a limited double CD+DVD Deluxe Edition, featuring the video of the full Manchester show on DVD and the reunion show in Birmingham as exclusive audio bonus on CD2.


Order all formats here.




Also available now is a live track/video taken from the release, The Damned classic “Neat Neat Neat”. Check it out below.


Ground-breaking rock band The Damned exploded on to the British music scene more than forty-five years ago. Following their formation in 1976, The Damned became the first UK band in the punk rock genre to release a single (“New Rose”) and then an album (Damned, Damned, Damned). Initially associated with the British punk rock movement and then gothic rock, the band went on to release ten studio albums and several UK-charting singles which ran the gamut from punk rock to gothic to even the pop genre. They have legions of hardcore fans worldwide and have firmly established themselves as one of most powerful and theatrical live bands in the world.








Tracklisting:


CD1 & 2LP: O2 Apollo Manchester 03/11/22:


"I Feel Alright"
"You Take My Money"
"Help"
"Born To Kill"
"Stretcher Case"
"Feel The Pain"
"I Fall"
"Fan Club"
"Alone"
"Fish"
"1 Of The 2"
"Problem Child"
"Neat Neat Neat"
"Stab Yor Back"
"Sick Of Being Sick"
"See Her Tonite"
"You Know"
"New Rose"
"Pills"
"The Last Time"
"So Messed Up"


CD2: O2 Academy Birmingham 05/11/22:


"I Feel Alright"
"You Take My Money"
"Help"
"Born To Kill"
"Stretcher Case"
"Feel The Pain"
"I F