Black Table Announces Tour With Hexis

New York's progressive black metal crew Black Table will embark on a coast-to-coast U.S. tour this fall with Denmark's Hexis. Full dates are available below, along with a stream of the "Abalam" release from Hexis.

Sep 15 - Beacon, NY @ Howland Cultural Center
Sep 16 - Baltimore, MD @ Shadow Woods
Sep 17 - Ft Wayne, IN @ Skeletune Lounge
Sep 18 - Chicago, IL @ Livewire
Sep 19 - Madison, WI @ Art In
Sep 20 - Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
Sep 21 - Denver, CO @ Streets of London
Sep 22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club X
Sep 23 - Boise, ID @ Shredder
Sep 24 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Sep 26 - Portland, OR @ High Water Mark
Sep 27 - San Francisco, CA @ Elbo Room
Sep 28 - Los Angeles, CA @ 5 Star Bar
Sep 30 - Mesa, AZ @ Yucca Tap Room
Oct 1 - Santa Fe, NM @ The Underground
Oct 3 - Austin, TX @ The Lost Well
Oct 4 - New Orleans, LA @ Siberia
Oct 6 - Columbus, OH @ Spacebar
Oct 8 - Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus More...

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"Light Dawning" Available For Free This Week

Hey there regulars, passers-by, and detractors, just a heads up that my latest fiction release - the grimdark fantasy / horror novel "Light Dawning" - is available for free this week through Friday night!

You can snag a copy for yourself at no cost in digital Kindle format at Amazon here (the physical edition remains available for sale at normal price).

If you missed it or want to try before you (freely) buy, the full first chapter can be read at this location.

Heavily inspired by a variety of metal from the likes of Code to Shining to Ihsahn, a full playlist that evokes the themes and mood of the book can also be heard below after the trailer.

Check it all out and let me know what you think! Here's a quick synopsis of what to expect from the book:

Once known as the City on the Hill and revered far and wide for its independence and boundless opportunity, Cestia has become home only to the damned. Surviving under the brutal occupation of a southern empire for three long years, the oppressed populace has lost hope of liberation, turning instead towards an increasingly desperate rebellion willing to commit any atrocity for a chance at freedom.

As total war approaches, four lost souls trapped behind Cestia's walls are on a collision course with fate, destined to either save the city or see it utterly destroyed while calling on forces beyond mankind's comprehension. For good or ill, the light of a new day is about to dawn. More...

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Pit Stories: Nearly Flattened Like A Pancake

Last week we had a harrowing tale of out an out of control venue manager, and this week we're diving straight back into the mosh pit for some body slamming mayhem!

For our second Pit Story of August 2017 we got in touch with melodic metal group Counterfeit Culture.

Bassist Elijah Pagan recalls the following story of nearly getting laid out flat during a Lorna Shore show in New Jersey:

I'll never forget this one show I went to around 4 years back at Gamechanger World, in NJ. Lorna Shore was headlining the show and it was just after they had released the EP titled "Maleficium." I had been a Lorna Shore fan for awhile at that point and I was pretty excited to see them play the songs off that EP. It was super heavy. So myself and a couple of my friends drove down to the venue to watch them play. Some sick local bands played, and then when Lorna was setting up on stage more people started rolling in. The crowd ended up being pretty big. My friends and I moved up to the barrier closest to the stage thinking that would be a decent place for safety. Let me tell you... it wasn't.

The lights on the stage dimmed and Lorna was going on. Don't get me wrong I was super excited to see them, but I wasn't excited for how rowdy the crowd was going to be. So Lorna's set starts everything seemed to be alright. The pit was behind me, and I figured I was alright where I was. Next thing I knew, during one of the breakdowns in the song "Cre(h)ate," a much bigger man then myself climbed on the stage and I knew exactly what was about to go down.

The dude must've been like 300 lbs and I saw him climb up on the stage from the side and start running towards the end of the stage in my direction. The dude ran and belly flopped off of the stage swinging his arms and legs in every direction. I looked up and saw his whole body extended above me in the air. At that point, I just closed my eyes, held on to the barrier for dear life, and waited to be made into a human pancake. After a couple seconds of nothing I preceded to open my eyes to then see the people standing directly behind me, knocked over and on the floor with that big dude on top of them trying to get up as fast as possible. That was hands down one of the craziest pit experiences of my life.

Counterfeit Culture just released the "Deathwish" EP earlier this month, which can be picked up over here. Latest single "Apothecary" (featuring Ricky Armellino from This Or The Apocalypse) can also be heard below. For the latest on Counterfeit Culture, head over to the group's Facebook profile. More...

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Lo! Announces New Album

Sydney's Lo! literally made a splash last year with the video clip for "Orca," produced by bass player Adrian Shapiro himself. The clip showed vocalist Sam Dillon as a vicious creature emerging from a vat of shiny pink goo, in front of an otherwise completely black background.

Pink in metal? The clip went viral over the love-it-or-hate-it discussion that followed... but even the haters had to admit that this clip showed an innovative approach to visual arts in heavy music.

Lo!'s third full length album "Vestigial" - set for release via Pelagic Records October 6th -- aims to go even up to the next level. Guitarist Carl Whitbread comments: "This time we had much more time to all be together as a band and really work on the songs properly instead of the last-minute rush that usually happens. I think we all felt more connected now having Adrian back in the country."

1. Hall Of Extinct Mammals
2. As Fools Ripen
3. Glutton
4. Locust Christ
5. Butcher Birds
6. Bombardier
7. A Tiger Moth's Shadow
8. Judas Steer
9. Bestial Beginnings
10. The Worms Lament
11. Gods Of Ruin More...

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Triptykon Seeking New Drummer

Triptykon made the following statement announcing upcoming festival appearances and the search for a new drummer:

"We feel very honored to have been invited to play Spain's Leyendas del Rock and Germany's Party.San festivals this August. Both festivals hold a unique significance for Triptykon: our concert at Leyendas del Rock will mark the first time Triptykon will play in Spain, fulfilling a desire we have had for quite some time.

"The return to Party.San is equally important for us. Triptykon's first appearance at the festival, in August of 2011, was heavily marred by the unexpected shutdown of the main stage due to storm damage, and by a number of local organizational issues. Party.San is a truly extraordinary festival in our eyes, and we feel privileged and delighted to be given the opportunity to finally honour it with a proper concert.

"But these two festivals are significant to us for yet another, far more personal reason. These will be the final concerts we will play with our drummer, Norman Lonhard. Norman joined Triptykon in December of 2008, thereby completing the freshly formed band. He recorded two acclaimed albums, an EP, and a single with the group, appeared in all of Triptykon's video clips, and performed uncounted concerts around the globe with us. More...

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Devil's Emissary Releasing New EP

Two years after the release of the band's sophomore album, Devil's Emissary returns with a new mini-album entitled "Demiurge Asceticism." Pre-orders are now available and the EP will be released on the 9th of September, 2017 via Third Eye Temple.

To get a foretaste of the release, stream the track “Black Hole Meditation” below. The following press release was also issued:

"'Demiurge Asceticism' contains nearly 20 minutes of lunatic incantations, divided into three anthems praising the Harvester of Worlds – the great Swallower of Suns. A black metal of death, shrouded in the left hand path philosophy, is now carried on the banners of this ambitious Polish horde.

"The black metal formula, well-known from the two previous releases, has transfigurated into a death metal hybrid, but still honouring respect to the band’s roots. Low-tuned vibrations are raising the chants from the ancient tombs of this Emissary trio coming from the south of Poland. The Message of the slow-stepping Demiurge resounds with echoes of Australian, Greek and Canadian death metal roots.

"It is the manifest of heaven's violent death - the will of those below as foretold in the Horizon Temple. Open to the pilgrims of fire. Become everything and nothing." More...

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Act Of Defiance Reveals New Album

Following 2015 debut, "Birth And The Burial," metal band Act of Defiance - featuring Chris Broderick on guitar, Henry Derek on vocals, Shawn Drover on drums and Matt Bachand on bass - now returns with sinister new album "Old Scars, New Wounds" hitting retailers on September 29th via Metal Blade Records.

Today, you can watch a full performance video for the album's intro track, "M.I.A." The video was put together by Robert Graves and is available below.

The album's title - plucked from the track "Conspiracy Of The Gods" - stands as a metaphor for life in general. "Another Killing Spree" looks at hardcore drug use, while "Lullaby Of Vengeance" is an angry song about singing angry lyrics, and "Overexposure" is an anthem dedicated to not selling out. There is also some very topical material, most notably on "Mis-Information Age" and "Broken Dialect."

"'Mis-Information Age' is very applicable in today's social climate, where we can no longer blindly trust the source of facts that determine our view," Broderick explains. "It asserts that we should be skeptical, making sure we have the truth and not someone's propaganda, while 'Broken Dialect' conveys the idea that people can no longer hold a conversation with each other where their views differ, instead turning to sources that only support the view they want to hold on to." More...

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Reign Of Vengeance Releases Music Video

Death metal crew Reign Of Vengeance just released a new video for "In The Club With A Chainsaw," which can be seen below.

The video footage was previously vaulted and hidden due to pressing legal matters and was later recovered from the darkest corner of vocalist Marshall Beck's garage and edited by music video director and producer Matt Zane (Zakk Wylde, Dope, John 5, Combichrist).

Vocalist Marshall Beck comments: "There is nothing intellectual, political, or meaningful about this song or music video. It is straight across non-politically correct gore soaked and horror filled brutality for the sake of itself. If that bothers you then let Reign Of Vengeance know and we'll dig you a safe space... (a grave)." More...

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Inmate Posts New Video

Slovenian group Inmate just released a music video for brand new single "Breakout Season," which can be found below. The clip was created by Marko Duplišak and you can pick up your own copy of the new single at Bandcamp here.

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Amberian Dawn Unveils New Album

Amberian Dawn today unveils the initial details for an upcoming studio album including artwork, release date, and track listing. Band mastermind Tuomas Seppälä comments:

"'Darkness of Eternity' is one of the most emotional AD-albums so far. It's got some really bombastic songs in mood of dark & symphonic melodic metal and in contrast to that also some really poppy songs too. For me it's really hard to stick in one genre only and I constantly want to compose different kinds of songs!"

The "Magic Forest" story continues on this album and Tuomas explains: "The song 'Symphony Nr.1. Part 1 - The Witchcraft' told the story on the last record 'Innuendo' before the time of 'Magic Forest.' The little girl is a healer and village elders buried her alive in a coffin. The track 'Symphony Nr.1. Part 2 - Darkness of Eternity' on our upcoming record 'Darkness of Eternity' tells the story of the girl lying in the coffin trying to get out. Darkness is asking her to dance the waltz of eternity. The story will continue in Part 3 and we will tell you how she became the Magic Forest's evil witch!"

New album "Darkness of Eternity" will be available on November 10th, 2017 via Napalm Records and the full track listing reads as follows:

1. I'm The One
2. Sky Is Falling
3. Dragonflies
4. Maybe
5. Golden Coins
6. Luna My Darling
7. Abyss
8. Ghostwoman
9. Breathe Again
10. Symphony Nr. 1, part 2 - Darkness Of Eternity
11. Anyone (Bonus Track) More...

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Meet The Rock And Metal Museum's Exhibitors

UK's Bloodstock Festival (also know as Bloodstock Open Air) has become in recent years, one of Europe's most illustrious Metal gatherings. An undeniable proof of the fest's panache is the inclusion of bands like Blind Guardian, Megadeth, Amon Amarth, Ghost, Testament, Kreator, Hatebreed, Arch Enemy in the 2017 line-up. This event also sponsors the Rock And Metal Museum (RAM)—a gallery that exhibits original artworks and other items related with Heavy Metal visual imagery. The upcoming edition will take place from August 10th to 13th within Bloodstock's premises and promises to be a true feast for the senses. Let's meet some of this year's exhibitors.

PAUL RAYMOND GREGORY
This illustrious British artist is Bloodstock's mastermind and the creator of RAM. He has painted dozens of album covers for collectives like Saxon, Dio, Blind Guardian, and is also well-known for his gigantic J.R.R Tolkien-inspired canvases. His leading role has proven crucial fro the development of both the gallery through the years. More...

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Gojira Announces Tour With Torche

Gojira just announced details of a U.S. headline tour with special guests Torche and Code Orange, which is set to get underway October 2nd at the House of Blues in Cleveland, OH.

Artist presale tickets for the new headline dates will be available today at 2:00 PM local time, followed by a Spotify presale on Wednesday, August 9th at 10:00 AM eastern time and finally a venue / promoter presale which begins Thursday, August 10th at 10:00 AM local time. General tickets for all dates will go on Friday August 11th at 10:00 AM local time.

Gojira is currently out on the road wrapping up a run of North American dates on Metallica’s WorldWired Tour, which will continue through August 16th. The west coast trek also includes a string of Gojira headline dates with Pallbearer that run through August 12th.

This fall, Gojira will make an array of U.S. festival appearances with performances set for Louder Than Life (9/30), Rock Allegiance (10/7), Houston Open Air (10/14), Aftershock (10/21) and more. The upcoming fall dates will also include a very special one night only performance with Converge at Brooklyn, NY’s recently opened Brooklyn Steel on September 28th. More...

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Omotai Debuts "Welcome to the Adders’ Land"

Houston, TX sludge outfit Omotai debuts a new song entitled "Welcome to the Adders’ Land", taken from the upcoming new album "A Ruined Oak", which will be out in stores October 6 via Tofu Carnage Records.

Check out now "Welcome to the Adders’ Land" below.

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Fire For Effect Shares New Teaser Clip

Fire For Effect - featuring vocalist Bret Hoffman, guitarist Gio Geraca (both ex-Malevolent Creation), bass player Tony Choy (Atheist, ex-Cynic), drummer Mike Smith (ex-Suffocation) and second guitarist Eric Bukowski - shares a teaser clip for the band's self-titled track. The band is currently working on new material for a full length album, set to be released at the end of this year.

Check out now "Fire For Effect" below.

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Thy Art Is Murder Premieres Pro-Shot Live Video

Thy Art Is Murder premieres a new pro-shot live video for "Reign Of Darkness", which was filmed at the "Impericon Festival" in Leipzig, Germany earlier this year. The band has a new album entitled "Dear Desolation" slated for an August 18th release through Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Check out now "Reign Of Darkness" below.

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