Latest Metal News
Last updated on January 26, 2015 at 4:09 PM ET
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Hot Topics
- Faith No More Announces North American Tour
- Coal Chamber Finishes Album, Announces Tour
- Paradise Lost Announces New Album
- Blame Kandinsky Streaming EP Online
- Ranger Unveils New Album Artwork
- Chthonic Starts A Political Party
- Wende Releasing "The Third And The Noble"
- CDC Streaming "Temple"
- A Forest Of Stars Draws Down The Rain
- Mysticum Posts "The Ether" Video
25 news articles posted today (and counting...)
Marty Friedman Announces Guitar Clinic
Guitarist (and current Tokyo resident) Marty Friedman recently returned to America for a series of appearances centered around the annual NAMM convention in Anaheim, California.
First, Frideman surprised fans by making a special guest appearance during Los Angeles-based glam metal act Steel Panther’s performance at the Grove of Anaheim during the “NAMM Jam” event on January 23rd.
Friedman will next be seen hosting a sold-out lecture at the Japan Foundation of Los Angeles tonight (January 26th), where he will detail his immersion into Japanese culture and how it opened new opportunities for his career. The event will be followed by a brief fan Q&A session and meet-and-greet.
To cap off his visit to the States, Friedman will host a special guitar clinic at Los Angeles’ famous music college, Musicians Institute, exclusively for students and alumni. The clinic will take place at MI’s Concert Hall on Tuesday, January 27th from 2:00 – 4:00 pm.
Described as his “purest, heaviest guitar work” (NPR), Friedman has spent the past year promoting his Billboard-charting solo album, “Inferno,” on worldwide tours alongside Gus G., Arch Enemy, Kreator, Shining, and a slot on Japan’s largest heavy metal festival, Loud Park. More...
Texas In July Drops Off Tour
Texas In July has issued the following announcement about missing upcoming tour dates due to health issues with drummer Adam Gray:
"Unfortunately we are not going to be able to attend the upcoming Betraying The Martyrs headliner due to health issues in the TIJ camp.
"It's in our best interest to be local during this time so that Adam can be near his doctors that have been working with him since the inception of his complications. Our apologies are sent to all of our European fans, we will see you soon enough." More...
Youth Funeral Posts Full EP Online
With its second EP, "See You When I See You," due out out tomorrow (January 27th) on Twelve Gauge Records, Youth Funeral has teamed with Alternative Press to offer a stream of the entire record (also available below).
"See You When I See You" was produced by Will Killingsworth (Magrudergrind, Ampere) and deals with confronting mortality. The EP follows a 2013 EP, "Symptom of Time," and a recent split with Scowler. More...
Vision Of Disorder Starts Album Pre-Production
Vision Of Disorder has checked in with the following brief announcement about beginning work on a new full-length album:
"Pre-production for our new album on Candlelight Records has begun with the mighty Zeuss! (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall, Rob Zombie)."
Stay tuned for details on the upcoming release.
Chthonic Starts A Political Party
Taiwanese metal outfit Chthonic has posted the following message online about taking part in the creation of a new political party:
"Ladies and gentlemen, dear comrades, I am Freddy Lim.
"I have never joined any political party, and I never expected that, the first party that I join would be a party which I participated in its creation. This is actually how my life has always been—I do whatever I feel like doing, if there’s something I don’t like, I don’t just criticize, I do it myself. Whether it’s forming a band, launch a record company, organize a music festival, or creating a venue for performance, if I want to do it, I start from scratch, it doesn’t matter if I have to start with one or two people, this is how I do things whether in Taiwan or around the world.
"But establishing a political party is a bit different, it’s not something that can be started with one or two people, it’s a work that takes everyone in the nation to complete the job. Therefore, though I’ve been chosen by our founding members as the representative of the party, I am not the so-called party chairperson, rather, I am the chief executive of the 'party founding team.'
"Starting with the 30 members in this 'party founding team,' we will have 100,000 people to officially launch the party with us in two months, let’s work together to create a party of our time!
Looking back into the past few years, the social force has been active in Taiwan, with several demonstrations that attracted hundreds of thousands of people each. This progressive force—coming from different walks of life in the society—even instigated changes in local political environment through voting last year. Now, it’s time for this progressive force to change the nation at once.
"Therefore, starting today, we will be in close contact with the people across the country—in front of temples, in coffee shops, in clubs, on the street, or on the Internet—we will pull together all these forces, we will have these people to vote for leaders in the party, and have the 100,000 people to nominate legislative candidates, we will turn the social force into political force, and make it 'force of the time' to change Taiwan. More...
Aggression Announces U.S. Tour
With a 30 year anniversary looming, founding Aggression guitarist Denis "Sasquatch" Barthe has handpicked the finest musicians around him to reform the 80's thrash act for its first U.S. tour this coming March (dates listed below).
The Forsaken East Coast Survival Tour will kick off at the 2015 edition of Defenders of The Old Festival in Brooklyn, NY on March 13th that includes Exciter, Riot V, The Rods and many more. Denis "Sasquatch" Barthe comments:
"There's no way Aggression could have entered the States in the 80's. Now, 30 years later it's amazing that we can make it happen! When we would scream 'Thrash Till Death' we truly meant it. I can't wait to see you all on the Forsaken East Coast Survival Tour!"
Aggression's lineup will feature vocalist Brian Langley from Toronto outfit Infernal Majesty, bassist Darin Wall and guitarist Dave Watson from Vancouver thrash powerhouse Entropia, plus drum maniac Ryan Murray Idris from Expain.
This will be Aggression's first series of shows since 2005, where the group reunited at the Montreal Metal Massacre fest and unleashed the 1986 album "Forgotten Skeleton."
March 13 - The Bell House - Brooklyn, NY (Defenders of The Old Fest III)
March 14 - Black Vulture Gallery - Philadelphia, PA
March 15 - TBA - Boston, MA
March 16 - Nectar's - Burlington, VT
March 17 - TBA
March 18 - TBA - Richmond, VA
March 19 - The Cave - Chapel Hill, NC
March 20 - The Green Lantern - Lexington, KY
March 21 - Quarters - Milwaukee, WI
March 22 - TBA - Detroit, MI
March 23 - The Bug Jar - Rochester, NY More...
Coal Chamber Finishes Album, Announces Tour
After announcing a reunion last month, Coal Chamber has now finished work on a comeback album and will kick off a headlining tour in March with Filter, Combichrist, and American Head Charge.
More dates will still be added, and the currently announced shows are as follows:
3/6: Tempe, AZ @ Marquee
3/7: Los Angeles, CA @ House of Blues
3/8: San Francisco, CA @ Regency Grand
3/9: Sacramento, CA @ Ace of Spades
3/11: Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
3/12: Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
3/13: Spokane, WA @ Knitting Factory
3/14: Boise, ID @ Knitting Factory
3/16: Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
3/17: Wichita, KS @ The Cottillion
3/18: Tulsa, OK @ Cains Ballroom
3/20: Milwaukee, WI @ Rave
3/21: Detroit, MI @ Harpos
3/22: Joliet, IL @ Mojoes
3/23: Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue*
3/25: Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
3/26: Toronto, ON @ Opera House
3/27: Niagara Falls, NY @ Rapids Theater
3/28: Worcester, MA @ Palladium
3/29: New York, NY @ Webster Hall
3/31: Baltimore, MD @ Rams Head Live
4/1: Hartford, CT @ The Webster
4/2: Patchogue, NY @ The Emporium
4/3: Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
4/4: Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero
4/6: Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Smalls
4/7: Norfolk, VA @ The Norva
4/8: Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte
4/9: Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
4/10: Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall
4/11: Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
4/12: Dallas, TX @ Gas Monkey Live More...
Ranger Unveils New Album Artwork
Speed metal merchants Ranger will release their Spinefarm debut "Where Evil Dwells" on March 17th.
True to old school form, the album is an analog recording, featuring the glorious sound of melting Marshall amps. "Where Evil Dwells" will be out in CD, LP, cassette and digital formats. The track listing is as follows:
1. Defcon 1 (watch the lyric video here)
2. Deadly Feast
3. Phantom Soldier
4. Dead Zone
5. Black Circle (S.Y.L.S.)
6. Where Evil Dwells
7. Storm of Power More...
CDC Streaming "Temple"
Revolver Magazine is hosting the premiere of the closing track to "End," the impending 12" EP from Lansdale, Pennsylvania-based hardcore outfit, CDC. Check out the song "Temple" below.
"End" will see release in the U.S. on February 17th via Get This Right Records -- partially owned by members of CDC -- and February 20th in Europe through Beatdown Hardwear, with 308 copies on yellow/orange wax, 411 copies on burgundy/purple, and 320 copies on black wax with a screen-printed B-side exclusively for preorder customers.
With a slick, streetwise, tension-fueled and beatdown-fueled delivery, "End" is the first release from Philly-area's international touring beast CDC in over five years, recorded with Vince Ratti at Skylight Studio (Balance And Composure, Title Fight, Turmoil), mastered by Will Yip at Studio 4 (Cop Problem, Lauren Hill, Blacklisted), and bearing cover art created by Fist City. See the band live on these dates:
4/04-05/2015 Club Aqua - Jacksonville, FL @ Southeast Beast
4/11/2015 Club 77 - San Juan, Puerto Rico More...
Livin Garden Posts California Show Footage
Brazil's Livin Garden has uploaded full concert footage of the band's last show of the "Bring it On" U.S. tour in 2014 filmed at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles, CA on December 6th, 2014. Check out the clip below.
The band performed around fifty shows across the United States during four months for the tour promoting latest album "Bring It On," released in 2014 via Digmetalworld Records and distributed in North America via MVD Entertainment Group and Europe via Plastic Head. The set list for the footage below is as follows:
1. Pain
2. Exile
3. Bring It On
4. Age Of Lies
5. Sing My Soul
6. Let It Bleed
7. Don't Blame More...
Mysticum Posts "The Ether" Video
Mysticum has launched a music video for the track "The Ether," taken from the 2014 return album "Planet Satan" (reviewed here).
In the true spirit of Mysticum, do not expect the typical kind of video, but instead a dark and cosmic trip - a powerful glimpse into the all-conquering Mysticum universe. Check it out below.
In addition, the band has also announced its highly-anticipated return to the stage after 19 years, with a main performance at Finland's Black Flames of Blasphemy festival on November 14th, 2015. Expect pure hell! The track listing for "Planet Satan" is as follows:
1. LSD
2. Annihilation
3. Far
4. The Ether
5. Fist of Satan
6. All Must End
7. Cosmic Gun
8. Dissolve to Impiety More...
Blame Kandinsky Streaming EP Online
Formed in November of 2012, Blame Kandinsky is a five-piece group from Athens, Greece that plays an explosive and raucous mathcore style in the vein of Dillinger Escape Plan, Every Time I Die, and The Chariot.
The band's first EP “Pink Noise Motel” is out now and can be bought on a name-your-price basis at Bandcamp here. The track listing is:
1. Varnish 11 st Illinois
2. Cassidy Godson Meets Christine Fallin
3. Lions
4. Nascency.Admittance.Guilt.Rebirth
5. Beautiful Savages
6. Death Has No Name More...
Killitorous Has Equipment Stolen On Tour
Killitorous has issued the following statement about having equipment stolen while out on tour:
"Yesterday, on the Kings of Chaos tour, Killitorous along with Crimson Shadows van's got broken into in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They stole thousands of dollars of Killitorous gear and personal items as well as damaging both of the bands vans. It was the last day of the tour.
"According to the police who filed the report with the bands management, this happens everyday to people in Montreal (20-25 people DAILY), and ESPECIALLY to bands with license plates not from the province of Quebec. Shocking amounts of bands have been robbed and ripped off in Montreal when leaving their vans un-attended.
"We ourselves have heard so many horror stories, and have had a ton of friends in bands who have ALSO been robbed in Montreal and to be honest, the police were not very helpful in helping to find any suspect (they more so felt like insurance men handing us forms). We send out a warning to all bands touring in Canada: NEVER EVER LEAVE YOUR VAN ALONE IN MONTREAL... which sucks so much because it is one of the best places for bands to play in the whole country.
"But they get shit on like this while they are playing... in some cases literally (like ours). Having had a completely successful tour be ruined by someone who has NOTHING to do with our band, business or work ethic hurts us in ways we cannot explain. All the hard work, destroyed by a complete stranger.
"It makes one of the most difficult things you can do (touring in an underground death metal band) feel a million times more impossible. We only have one thing to say to the motherfucker who does not know us, but destroyed all our hard work, the motherfucker who ruined a completely successful tour: You can never stop us. Thanks for encouraging us by any way possible. Buy our merch, come to our next shows, spread the word! You guys are the best!" More...
Torche Streaming "Loose Men"
Torche has premiered “Loose Men” online, the third song to be heard from the outfit’s forthcoming album "Restarter" (due out February 24th via Relapse Records. Listen in below, thanks to Rollingstone.com.
The band has added a hometown record release show, March 4th at Churchill’s Pub, to the previously announced tour dates, which are:
March 4 Miami, Fl Churchill’s Pub #
March 6 Atlanta, GA The Masquerade
March 7 Birmingham, AL The Bottletree
March 8 Baton Rouge, LA Spanish Moon
March 9 Houston, TX Fitzgerald’s Downstairs
March 10 Austin, TX Red 7
March 11 Dallas, TX Club Dada #
March 12 Memphis, TN The Hi-Tone
March 13 St. Louis, MO The Firebird
March 14 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
March 15 Milwaukee, WI The Cactus Club
March 17 Cleveland, OH The Grog Shop
March 18 Grand Rapids, MI The Pyramid Scheme
March 20 Detroit, MI The Pike Room
March 21 Toronto, ON Lee’s Palace
March 22 Montreal, QC Bar Le Ritz
March 23 Buffalo, NY Mohawk Place
March 25 Boston, MA Great Scott
March 26 Brooklyn, NY St. Vitus
March 27 Philadelphia, PA Underground Arts
March 28 Richmond, VA Strange Matters #
March 29 Washington, DC DC 9 # More...
XII Boar Reveals New Album Details
U.K. southern stoner rock outfit XII Boar has announced new album "Pitworthy" will be released on March 9th, 2015. Pre-orders are available at this location.
Featuring 10 blistering tracks of razor sharp rock and roll for the heavier generation, "Pitworthy" serves up a smorgasbord of groove-laden riffage, irresistibly catchy hooks, straight-to-the-face southern thrash outs, and a bucket-load of hip swaying, booty shakin' metal. The track listing is as follows:
1. Sharpshooter
2. Young Man
3. Crushing The P
4. The Schaeffer Boogie
5. Pitworthy
6. Crawdaddy Blues
7. Chicken Hawk
8. Battle Boar
9. Rock City
10. Quint More...
Nervecell Posts Tour Footage
Dubai-based death / thrash metal act Nervecell has released a new tour diary video from the 2014 "Psychogenocide" European tour covering festivals, shows, and road footage in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and more.
Check out the tour video below. Nervecell will also re-release the album "Psychogenocide" on January 27th, 2015 in the USA and rest of the world through Unique Leader Records.
Faith No More Announces North American Tour
Faith No More has confirmed a Spring North American outing kicking off April 15th in Vancouver. The announcement comes as the Bay Area band wraps up work on the follow-up to 1997’s "Album of the Year."
The as-of-yet untitled album is due this May via the band’s newly formed imprint, Reclamation Recordings, which is distributed by Ipecac Recordings. Faith No More founder and bass player, Bill Gould is overseeing production.
“Here we go,” said Gould. “First North American tour dates, some in cities we haven’t played in over 17 years. We are armed with the new material and ready for whatever comes our way.”
Preceding the tour is the release of a second single from the forthcoming album, titled “Superhero,” which will be available as a limited edition 7-inch single on March 17th followed by a digital release on March 31st.
See the group live on these dates: More...
Chris Clancy Releases Charity Track
Mutiny Within singer Chris Clancy recently released the song "The Divide" (available here), with which he is donating 100% of the proceeds to a fellow metal head in need.
Sean Smith is a 25 year old from Lansing Michigan who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disorder. Sean has been a lifelong metal fan and is in a time of need right now. Sean works and is putting himself through school, but his massive medical bills have made it difficult for him to better his life.
Chris Clancy comments: "I recently heard about Sean struggling so much, he's been fighting for years just to keep going financially due to his disabilities, works, yet still can't even make his rent payments on time. I'm sick of hearing about people struggling in our 'civilised society.' So I've written this track to raise money for him, stop him having to move into a shelter and hope it makes a difference. Please share this far and wide, lets right this wrong."
Sean Smith also had this to say: "I was born with a disability called osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disorder that causes my bones to be in a weaker, more fragile state, as well as being shorter in stature and other skeletal related issues. I also suffer from severe scoliosis, restrictive lung disease, asthma and sleep apnea. I have been wheelchair bound my entire life, and will be for the rest of its duration.
"To date, I have had well over 70 bone fractures and 4 major operations (including the placing of titanium rods through both of my femurs). My medical ailments have caused many hospitalizations, including two times where I was declared legally dead without brain or heart activity." More...
Xibalba Streaming Full New Album
"Tierra Y Libertad," the upcoming third LP from Pomona, California's Xibalba, is out this week on Southern Lord Recordings, officially unleashed in Europe today and striking the the U.S. tomorrow.
The album was recorded by Taylor Young (Nails, Twitching Tongues, Disgrace) at The Pit in Van Nuys, and the band has once again commissioned Dan Seagrave (Dismember, Entombed, Suffocation) for the "Tierra Y Libertad" cover artwork.
You can now stream the entire album below, courtesy of Lambgoat.com. Xibalba will crush the east and west coasts of the U.S. with a "Tierra Y Libertad" record release show rampage beginning late this week. Dates are as follows:
1/30/2015 Los Globos - Los Angeles, CA w/ All Out War, Skinfather
1/31/2015 Gilman - Berkeley, CA w/ All Out War, Skinfather
2/07/2015 Soda Bar - San Diego, CA w/ Excel, Rotting Out
2/18/2015 Bogies - Albany, NY w/ The Banner
2/19/2015 Haverhill - Haverhill, MA w/ The Banner
2/20/2015 Amityville Music Hall - Amityville, NY w/ All Out War, The Banner, Rude Awakening
2/21/2015 Charm City Art Space - Baltimore, MD w/ All Out War, The Banner, Rude Awakening
2/22/2015 Firehouse 13 - Providence, RI w/ The Banner, Rude Awakening More...
Godless Angel Releasing "Harvester Of Shadows"
"Harvester of Shadows" is the new album by Kansas-based one man death/thrash machine, Godless Angel.
Recorded between June 2014 and January 2015, the album features nine tracks of groove crushing, neck snapping death and thrash metal.
"Harvester of Shadows" was written and recorded by vocalist/guitarist/bassist/drum programmer Derek Neibarger. From "Witching Hour at the Gates of Stull" to "Disemboweling the Deranged," "Harvester of Shadows" is a relentless sonic assault due out February 27th via Inverse Records. The track listing is as follows:
1. Witching Hour at the Gates of Stull
2. Containment Breach in Sector 6
3. The Swarm Feeds
4. Samhain
5. Suffering the Wrath of the Goddess
6. Summoning Darkness
7. Beneath the Skin
8. To Shred the Soul
9. Disemboweling the Deranged More...
Avatar Posts New Video Clip
The Swedish imports from Avatar have debuted an all-new music video for their track "Vultures Fly." Check it out below.
The track comes off latest album "Hail The Apocalypse," and the full track listing is:
1. Hail The Apocalypse
2. What I Don't Know
3. Death Of Sound
4. Vultures Fly
5. Bloody Angel (watch the video here)
6. Murderer
7. Tsar Bomba
8. Puppet Show
9. Get In Line
10. Something In the Way
11. Tower More...
A Forest Of Stars Draws Down The Rain
Today, the mysterious gentlemen's club of A Forest Of Stars premieres the new track "Drawing Down the Rain," which is available below thanks to Stereogum.com.
"Drawing Down The Rain" comes from the band's forthcoming fourth opus, "Beware The Sword You Cannot See," set for North American release on March 3rd via Lupus Lounge (a division of Prophecy Productions).
With this offering, A Forest Of Stars make good on the promise given on its predecessor, 2012's "A Shadowplay For Yesterdays." The compositions are bolder and more adventurous, more eccentric and progressive, yet still melodic and accessible like never before. Conceptually, A Forest Of Stars likewise hark back to older issues and develop them further. Whereas "A Shadowplay For Yesterdays" depicted moral decay based on an individual fate, "Beware The Sword You Cannot See" transfers the topics of demise and insanity into metaphysical spheres. The full album's track listing is as follows:
1. Drawing Down the Rain
2. Hive Mindless
3. A Blaze of Hammers
4. Virtus Sola Invicta
5. Proboscis Master Versus the Powdered Seraphs
6. Part I: Mindslide
7. Part II: Have You Got a Light, Boy?
8. Part III: Perdurabo
9. Part IV: An Automaton Adrift
10. Part V: Lowly Worm
11. Part VI: Let There Be No Light More...
Wende Releasing "The Third And The Noble"
Moribund Records is proud to unveil one of black metal's best-kept secrets: Wende and its second album, 2012's "The Third and the Noble." The album will now see release via Moribund on February 17th, and the label had this to say:
"Hailing from rural and deeply wooded Washington state, Wende is the sole vision of one Zamiel, and to date, his two albums have been self-released in super-limited quantities. Now Moribund steps in with the official release of 'The Third and the Noble.'
"This album is a re-recording of Wende's first demo, and much like his 'Vorspiel einer Philosophie der Zukunft' debut a year prior, this is simply some of the best Burzumic black metal since...well, Burzum.
"Strong words, perhaps, but the proof is there across these nine tracks (including a Burzum cover!): melancholic, emotive, and truly isolationist, Wende's 'The Third and the Noble' will soundly restore lost wisdom and offer many journeys to the stars."
1. Paths
2. Jarl's Kin
3. Journey of the Unseen Wrath
4. Nothingness
5. Sorrowful Journey of Ages
6. Onward
7. Beyond the Moon and Beneath the Sun
8. Everything Ends
9. Towards Ragnarok More...
Paradise Lost Announces New Album
After taking a trip back in time with the "Tragic Illusion 25 (The Rarities)" collection and the last studio album "Tragic Idol" (reviewed here), it's now time for Paradise Lost's 14th studio album.
The album will be titled "The Plague Within" and will be released via Century Media Records on June 1st in Europe and June 2nd in North America.
Nick Holmes comments: "We wanted to approach the new album differently this time by embracing the band's VERY early days. We have written a very dark, yet melodic album, but this time many songs definitely have a death metal edge, which is something we haven't done for a long long time in Paradise Lost."
"The Plague Within" was produced and mixed by Jaimie Gomez Arellano from Orgone Studios in London. More details are forthcoming, and for now you can catch the band live on these dates:
Feb. 20 - Bergen, NO - Blastfest
July 18 - Bolkow, PL - Castle Party 2015
Aug. 15 - Dinkelsbühl, DE - Summer Breeze Open Air
Graveyard After Graveyard Posts New Song
Graveyard After Graveyard - consisting of Jocke Ringdahl (ex-Paganizer, Sinners Burn) on drums, Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, etc.) on guitar, bass, and vocals and Mika Lagreen (ex-Facebreaker, Grave) on lead guitars and solos - has posted a new song.
After last year's debut EP and album the band has another new release on the way entitled "Hellhound On My Trail," from which is offered a track named "Out To Feed."
"Hellhound On My Trial" will be released by Chaos Records on February 23rd, 2015, and features cover artwork by Bob Toderico (Asphyx, Sinister, Soulburn, Mefisto). You can check out the song "Out To Feed" now below.
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