Archive: Headline News
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Black Sabbath Performs Final Show
It's truly the end of an era: one of the bands that arguably kicked off heavy metal - Black Sabbath - has now come to an end nearly 50 years later.
The reactivated Black Sabbath, sadly minus Bill Ward, performed the last show of "The End" tour in Birmingham.
It was a fitting end, with a sold-out arena filled with an estimated 16,000 fans. Footage of that farewell show recently uploaded to YouTube can be seen below.
Did you catch any of the final Black Sabbath shows? Let us know your favorite Ozzy and Sabbath memories below!
Tony Iommi also issued this message: "Thanks to everyone who came out to our final show of the tour in Birmingham Saturday night. It was such a great time that we will never forget!"
Mike IX Williams Returning To The Stage
EyeHateGod frontman Mike IX Williams successfully underwent a liver transplant last month and continues a slow road to recovery. The IX Lives IX Lives Benefit, set to commence in Williams' hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana this coming weekend, was organized to help with his mounting medical expenses.
The three-day event will take place at Siberia and Poor Boys venues and includes appearances by Crowbar, Superjoint, Goatwhore, Thou, Classhole, Mountain Of Wizard, and many more acts bound together for the cause.
EyeHateGod will close Saturday night's show with a host of guest singers including Philip H. Anselmo (Superjoint, Down), Ben Falgoust (Goatwhore, Soilent Green), Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Brain Tentacles, Corrections House), Hollise Murphy (Fat Stupid Ugly People), Shawn Knight (Child Bite), and more. See the day-to-day lineup below.
Though weekend passes are no longer available, the shows are not sold out. Remaining tickets will be available at the door for each show. Orange amplification has donated a Micro Dark amp with O headphones that will be raffled off along with EyeHateGod test presses and other Mike IX memorabilia.
In related news, Williams will make his return to the stage with EyeHateGod for a performance at this year's Berserker IV Music Fest in Pontiac, Michigan. Comments Williams: "These past few years have been somewhat of a rough ride for me health wise, but thanks to my super supportive fans, friends, and family, I am finally on the mend and looking forward to the future." More...
Bandcamp Donating To ACLU In #NoBanNoWall Protest
Bandcamp - a site that has become the mecca for all things underground metal - is getting involved in protests against the Trump administration's immigration ban and proposed $15 billion border wall.
This coming Friday, Bandcamp is donating 100% of their profits from any song purchased all day long to the ACLU. Bandcamp founder Ethan Diamond posted a list of groups from the affected countries, including Syrian metal band Theoria, at this location. What do you think of this decision and Bandcamp's involvement in the situation?
Diamond also issued this statement:
"Like 98% of U.S. citizens (including the President), I am the descendant of immigrants—my great-grandparents came to America from Russia and Lithuania as teenagers and worked in sweatshops until they were able to afford to bring the rest of their families over. Most everyone you speak to in this country has a similar story to tell, because we are, in fact, a nation of immigrants, bound together by a shared belief in justice, equality, and the freedom to pursue a better life. In this context, last week’s Executive Order barring immigrants and refugees from seven Middle Eastern countries from entering the United States is not simply immoral, it violates the very spirit and foundation of America.
"Contrary to the assertions of the current administration, the order will not make us safer (an opinion shared by the State Department and many members of Congress including prominent Republicans). Christian religious leaders have denounced both the ban, as well as the exception prioritizing Christian immigrants, as inhumane. It is an unequivocal moral wrong, a cynical attempt to sow division among the American people, and is in direct opposition to the principles of a country where the tenet of religious freedom is written directly into the Constitution. This is not who we are, and it is not what we believe in. We at Bandcamp oppose the ban wholeheartedly, and extend our support to those whose lives have been upended. More...
70K TOM May Be Christofer Johnsson's Final Show
Christofer Johnsson of Therion will be performing at the impending 70K Tons Of Metal cruise, but the musician will then be taking time off performing and recording due to a serious health issue. He comments:
"Possibly my final live performance ever on 70,000 Tons Of Metal. Over 2 weeks ago I started to get HUGE pains in my arm, shoulder and back. It hurt worse if I lay down and got worse by each day. In the end I could not even sleep in bed anymore and had to sit up sleeping in the sofa every night.
"Medicare in Sweden don't work anymore. Equipment is great and the doctors are competent and do their best, but due to the massive population increase, the capacity and medical infrastructure has lacked behind each year and just seem to get worse and worse. After I got in contact with the emergency, it took me eight (8) days before I got to see a physiotherapist and he could not make a proper diagnosis without a MRI scan of the neck. It would have taken up to a month before I would get a MRI done and then it can take another month before I get the results.
"At this point I slept worse and less each night and when I tried to play guitar, I would only play half a song before the pain made me stop + my motorics got so bad that I was even physically unable to play most songs.
"In order to not have to cancel 70.000 Tons of Metal and in order to faster get a diagnosis and get it cured, I (upon recommendation) decided to fly to Moscow and have it done there. They are at the same technical and competence level like in Sweden, but have capacity to treat patients immediately. So I got an appointment straight away, flew there and got a fantastic care with not only MRI, but also got to see a neurologist, physiotherapists and specialists.
"So I got a diagnosis the same day and it seems I have two spinal disc herniations in my neck, one really bad and one small that could get worse. In plain English this means that two of my discs in the neck are worn out (from headbanging and sitting too much in front of computer in the office and the studio) and have cracked so that fluid runs out from it. The fluid put pressure on the nerves in the spinal chord and create pain in shoulder/arm/back and distort mobility in the right arm. More...
Former Black Sabbath Keyboardist Passes Away
Former Black Sabbath keyboardist Geoff Nicholls has passed away after a battle with lung cancer. He was sixty eight years old. The news was broken by Nicholls' former bandmate Tony Iommi, who had worked with the musician from 1979 to 1996. Iommi posted a message online which reads as follows:
"I'm so saddened to hear of the loss of one of my dearest and closest friends Geoff Nicholls. He's been suffering for a while now with lung cancer.
"Geoff and I have always been very close and he has been a real true friend to me and supported me all the way for nearly 40 years. I will miss him dearly and he will live in my heart until we meet again. Rest in peace my dear friend." More...
Mastodon Premieres New Song
Mastodon today premieres a new song entitled "Sultan’s Curse", taken from the upcoming new album "Emperor Of Sand", which will be out in stores March 31st.
Check out now "Sultan’s Curse" below. This new album will follow 2014's "Once More Round The Sun" and features the following track listing:
1. Sultan's Curse
2. Show Yourself
3. Precious Stones
4. Steambreather
5. Roots Remain
6. Word to the Wise
7. Ancient Kingdom
8. Clandestiny
9. Andromeda
10. Scorpion Breath
11. Jaguar God More...
70000 Tons Of Metal: Line Up Complete
In exactly 9 days 3000 metal fans will be on board the 2017 edition of 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise.
4 Days, 60 Bands, 1 Cruise Ship and only 3000 Tickets – Round 7 of The Original, The World’s Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise will sail February 2-6 from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Labadee, Haiti on board the "Independence Of The Seas".
Haven’t booked your ticket yet? Click here to book now! Don’t wait, only a select number of Single Tickets and Private Cabins are left. You don’t want to miss this trip of a lifetime!
Check out the entire 2017 line-up below: More...
Steve Grimmet Has Leg Amputated
After releasing new album "Walking In The Shadows" back in September of 2016, Steve Grimmet's Grim Reaper has been performing live in support of the release. Those shows came to an end after Steve was rushed to a hospital following Saturday night's performance for an emergency operation to remove an infection from his foot.
According to a post from Steve's wife Millie, that operation was unsuccessful, and Steve has now had part of his leg amputated. She issued this announcement via the band's Facebook profile:
"Unfortunately the operation didn't work and Steve is currently in the operating theatre having limbs removed. We don't know how much of the leg will need to be removed but Steve is very very ill. He has an aggressive infection that spread very quickly over night. I am sorry to say the rest of the tour has been cancelled. I am hoping to fly out myself soon and stay with Steve until he is ready to come home so I may meet some of you then. But don't worry, the voice WILL be back."
A few hours later this message was then posted: "Yesterday Steve had his right leg removed from below the knee. The infection was so aggressive it spread from his toes to his knee over night. I've briefly spoken to him and he sounds in high spirits, laughing and joking. Hopefully he will start his journey home next week." More...
Has CJ Officially Rejoined Thy Art Is Murder?
Thy Art Is Murder was rejoined onstage by ex-Frontman CJ McMahon during last night's performance at the "UNIFY Festival" in Australia. States former touring vocalist for the band, Lochlan Watt on Instagram: "@cj_brotherwolf is back where he belongs. I am so fucking happy for him and my boys right now. This is truly incredible to witness. Power and then some."
McMahon addressed his return at the show in the below video, describing himself as a "drug addict" when he first left the band and later stating that he is "back to take over the world." More...
Nergal Launches Dark Blues / Country Project
Me And That Man - a new project from Behemoth's Nergal - will release debut album "Songs Of Love And Death" on March 24th through Cooking Vinyl. The album's lead single "My Church Is Black" launched today via the Lynchian video below.
The duo is fronted by Behemoth founder Nergal, paired by rock musician John Porter, and puts away any pre-conceived ideas about what heavy music should be with the release of this side project. The duo draws heavily on blues, country, and folk to make exceedingly dark music.
"Songs Of Love And Death" is a journey through sun-bleached, dusty plains, soundtracked by low-slung acoustic guitars and steeped in the rawest essence of rock and blues.
"This album is not meant to turn Me and That Man fans into Behemoth fans," Nergal notes. "If one day they follow, OK. Something like 'My Church Is Black' is a strong declaration, a song that naturally invites people from the extreme metal world, and perhaps they'll want to enter this world too. They might even like it. With Me and That Man, I'm telling simple stories in a simple way, not overloaded with metaphors and hidden meanings. It's just got to be as natural, organic and stripped down as it can be." More...
Six Feet Under Unveils "Torment"
Following "Crypt Of The Devil" from 2015 and last year's "Graveyard Classics IV: The Number of the Priest," Six Feet Under today reveals that new album "Torment" will drop on February 24th, 2017.
Cover artwork and the complete album track listing are available below, while "Torment" pre-orders are online now.
1. Sacrificial Kill
2. Exploratory Homicide
3. The Separation of Flesh from Bone
4. Schizomaniac
5. Skeleton
6. Knife Through the Skull
7. Slaughtered as They Slept
8. In the Process of Decomposing
9. Funeral Mask
10. Obsidian
11. Bloody Underwear
12. Roots of Evil More...
Wintersun Announces New Album
Maybe Wintersun wasn't trolling as much as we thought, as the band today announces a new album is coming... except it's not "Time II" but rather something completely different. The group issued this message online:
"It's 2017 folks and it's going to be a great year! Time for some big Wintersun news? Yes it is!
When we said that 'IT IS DONE,' we did not mean 'Time II,' but we meant a NEW ALBUM for sure! 'Time II' won´t be the next Wintersun album, because of reasons you already know from past updates and interviews.
"So what is IT? IT is a NEW ALBUM and it is 100% done! And no, that's not the name of the album. This album will be something new and different, but equally great or perhaps even better in some ways. Over 53 minutes of solid Wintersun material (with no intro tracks) and with a killer concept!
"This album will be the 3rd full-length Wintersun album. We will release the name of it soon and other details like track list etc. We're gonna start putting the pieces of the puzzle together for you guys how it's going to be released and what will happen... It will be a whole new experience to enjoy a Wintersun album! It will all make sense to you very soon!
"And this album is not the only thing we've done, not by a long shot! In fact your minds will be blown soon! That is a guarantee. So click the notifications ON in our Wintersun Facebook Page, if you don't want to miss out on the new Wintersun album! (Because of Facebook algorithm reach limit). THANKS GUYS!" More...
Tomas Lindberg Announces The Lurking Fear
Tomas Lindberg is back to front a new death metal project titled The Lurking Fear (and based on the artwork, likely based on the H.P. Lovecraft story of the same name). He posted this message about the impending release via the At The Gates Facebook page:
"Introducing, The Lurking Fear. Tomas Lindberg - vocals, Jonas Stålhammar - Guitars, Fredrik Wallenberg - Guitars, Andreas Axelson - Bass and Adrian Erlandsson - drums.
"The Lurking Fear is bringing sheer, natural weirdness and horror back to the scene, as we want our death metal ugly, twisted and possessed.
"Riffs should stir up real feelings of repulsion, and disgust deep down in your soul, and vocals should sounds like hounds of hell howling at the moon. Stay tuned! Art by Branca Studios." More...
Austin Carlile Permanently Exits Of Mice & Men
After having suffered numerous health setbacks brought on by the connective tissue disorder Marfan Syndrome, Of Mice & Men vocalist Austin Carlile has announced his decision to permanently exit the band. The outfit will continue without him. States Carlile:
"I never thought in a million years I would be sitting in Costa Rica writing this. I never thought I would start a successful band. I never thought I’d open for Marilyn Manson and Slipknot for an entire summer. I never thought I would go on a world tour with Linkin Park and sing ‘Faint‘ on stage with them all around the globe, I never thought I‘d become friends with Mike Shinoda and he’d help me write songs for an album of ours that sat at the No. 4 spot on the Billboard top charts.
"I never thought I would befriend bands like Avenged Sevenfold, Metallica, and Korn. I never thought i would sing ‘Ball Tongue‘ on stage with Korn. I never thought my band would play, much less headline Warped Tour, play giant radio festivals all over the world with some of my favorite artists, or tour in Germany, or anywhere in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Brazil, Chile, Canada, the United Kingdom, Scotland, Holland, Norway, or Italy, etc.
"The first time I ever left the States was because of this band that I started in a tiny barred window studio apartment… I never thought people would ask to take selfies with me inside the Roman Collesium, on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or even the mall I worked at in Ohio where Of Mice & Men was born eight years ago with the help of my friends in Though She Wrote.
"Kameron Bradbury now in Beartooth on guitar, recording our first song together in a local studio for just $50. I never thought putting the song ‘Seven Thousand Miles For What‘ on MySpace would reach over a million plays in a week, and that I’d sign a record contract of my own just days later. I never thought i‘d pack my things up and drive to California for the first time to find permanent band members. I never thought all my wildest dreams and more would eventually come true… More...
Vektor Splits With All Members
Vektor's David DiSanto has apparently parted ways with all other members of the band: drummer Blake Anderson, guitarist Erik Nelson and bassist Frank Chin.
A post went live on the Vektor Facebook page explaining those three members were departing the group, which was shortly after deleted (but can still be read below). Since then David DiSanto issued this statement:
"I apologize to anyone who was concerned about the post from earlier today. Vektor is not stopping. I started writing Vektor songs in 1999 and I'm still writing Vektor songs. As long as I live, Vektor will not die. I appreciate everything that Blake, Frank, and Erik have done to help this ship take off. I also appreciate all of my band mates before them: Willy, Pablo, Adam, Mike, and Kian. See you on the road!"
The original message (since removed from Vektor's social media) reads as follows: More...
Civil War Splits With Vocalist
After just announcing an upcoming tour with Nightmare, vocalist Nils Patrik Johansson has unexpectedly parted ways with Civil War. The band comments:
"Good evening to you all! As some of you probably already noticed our vocalist Patrik suddenly left the band without any further notice. It came as a really big surprise to us all.
"We just had a meeting and we came to the conclusion that Civil War will go on! We'll take the holidays now to let all this sink in and then we'll start the hunt for a new singer after that.
"Best Regards, Myhr, Mullback, Rikard and Petrus! STAY TUNED!" More...
Eths Disbanding, Announces Original Lineup Shows
Although it seemed like the band had a promising future, Eths is sadly calling it quits and lining up some final shows. Season Of Mist comments:
"Sad news for all fans of Eths. The French modern metal stars have announced the end of their career and are calling it quits. Season of Mist regrets to hear this decision, but of course fully respects it. We wish our long-time partners and personal friends for many years all the very best for their future as musicians and persons."
Eths had this to say: "These last few years, a number of ordeals slowly pushed us towards different musical yearnings while dulling the fun that we have had playing as a band. Eths has always been about honesty and fun, but we have to face the fact that our hearts are not in there anymore. Therefore we made the joined decision to call it quits - in order to fully focus on our separate musical endeavors and to find our joy in music again.
"From the bottom of our hearts, we want to extend our deepest thanks to all the fans, old and new, who supported the band through thick and thin. Thank you also to all musicians, road crews, bookers, radio DJs, directors, graphic designers, photographers, producers, journalists, and all other professionals of the music business, who helped us out in one way or another along the way. We have experienced unforgettable moments thanks to all of you and we will cherish those times forever. Just one more thing: you haven’t heard the last of the band yet and can expect one final surprise from Eths." More...
73 Lose Jobs As Team Rock Future Uncertain
DailyRecord.co.uk is reporting that 73 people are now out of jobs as Team Rock - the parent company to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, and Prog magazines - has been taken over by administrators attempting to stave off bankruptcy. An excerpt from the report follows:
Publisher Team Rock Ltd has gone into administration with the loss of 73 jobs. The Hamilton-based business, founded in 2012, published a stable of rock music magazines as well as the rock music website www.teamrock.com and TeamRock internet radio.
Team Rock had also acquired the Classic Rock, Prog and Metal Hammer magazines from Future Publishing in 2013 in a £10.2 million deal which took the Small/ Mid sized Deal of the Year at Insider's 2013 Deals and Dealmakers Awards.
Appointed administrators from FRP Advisory said the business had traded at a loss “for a significant period of time, with consequent constraints on the cash position." The administrators added: “Cost-cutting measures were implemented and despite the best efforts of the directors to seek additional investment or a purchaser for the business, no deal could be completed, leaving the company with no viable option other than to enter administration and to immediately cease trading. A handful of staff have been retained to assist the administrators, with all other employees made redundant.”
Team Rock employed 31 staff at its offices in High Blantyre, Glasgow and a further 49 at its offices in London. Across both offices, seven staff have been retained to assist the administrators.
According to the report, the seven employees who have been retained will assist with continued physical publications and website maintenance, but it's unclear if sites like Metal Hammer are going to remain operational in the coming weeks with such a reduced work froce.
Our condolences go out to all those fellow metal writers and staff who have lost their jobs this holiday season. More...
Read the full article at DailyRecord.
The Best And Worst Of Heavy Metal In 2016
We're at the end of the year already somehow? It was a big one for me personally as my head banging, bouncer moshing son arrived in May ready to throw the horns straight out of the womb!
There was a whole lot going on in the metal world as well to mark the year of his birth, with about equal parts good, bad, and utterly bizarre.
With the notable exception of one long-dormant mega band whose name is on everyone's lips, it seems like the reunion / reboot craze has finally come to a rest, for now anyway, and we can once again forget about all those broken up '80s and '90s groups seeking another day in the spotlight.
That paved the way for both a crop of new bands (and there were some awesome newcomers this year!) and long-running groups who never called it quits to show us what they could do throughout 2016.
The Good: Metal Highlights of 2016
It was back in 2015 that we started asking why there wasn't more heavy metal invading the world of PC and console gaming, and this year we actually saw some new additions. The top-down bullet hell wonder of "Metal Tales: Fury Of The Guitar Gods" just arrived last month, while the rhythm game / RPG "Metronomicon" landed at the end of September. 
The beginning of the year was also marked by the very metaltastic "Slain," drawing heavily from early Castlevania, and while it had an incredibly rocky launch, reviews are steadily getting more positive as patches are released.
On the music front, this was unquestionably the year of thrash!
New albums arrived from Megadeth, Anthrax, Testament, and even the long-awaited return of the band everyone loves to hate, Metallica (although as our reader poll and CROMCarl's review show, there's clearly still some fans out there in the metal underground). More...
Todtgelichter Announces Final Album, Tour Dates
Following the "Rooms" album release earlier in 2016, German avant-garde outfit Todtgelichter has revealed 2017 will be the band's final year. A handful of last shows are being lined up, along with a final studio output. The band comments:
"Okay people, some sad news for you: We have mutually decided to put Todtgelicther on ice indefinitely. We will play some selected shows in 2017 (the last ones in March/April), after that we will effectively function as a studio band for one more album coming soon (promise!) and then –
Good Night.
"Reasons? Legion. The effort to create something new and exciting with which we can surprise ourselves feels bigger and bigger, and we keep asking ourselves more often why we put up with it. Add to that the hardships of the whole business, the decline of physical sales, the fading will to tolerate let-downs and disappointments you inevitably get when people that are supposed to work with you do not burn for the band with the same fire as you do, the fact that any band our size will know this hobby is a money-burning machine (Did we really get filthy rich with the supposedly moneygrabbing move 'Apnoe?' Not so. Yes, people actually did accuse us of that intention). More...
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