Heavy metallers Nightglow have uploaded one full song from their debut album “We Rise”, due to come out via logic(il)logic Records on March 18th. “Between Heaven & Hell” is available for streaming on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkwyZ_l2BJA

Web: www.nightglow.it / www.logicillogic.net

Real metal institution DECEASED will be embarking on a mini-tour of the U.S. tomorrow, with Gravehill as direct support. Says DECEASED frontman King Fowley, “It’s time to smash it to the fucking wall! DECEASED and Gravehill on the march – ugly lives!” Adds Gravehill’s Mike Abominator, “We look forward to killing out on the road with the mighty DECEASED! The power of these stinky cadavers compells you!” Dubbed “March of the Cadavers,” the tour is confirmed for the following dates/venues:

March 8th @ ZIGGYS in Chattanooga, Tennessee *
March 9th @ HOOLIGANS in Albuquerque, New Mexico
March 10th @ ROCKY POINT CANTINA in Tempe, Arizonia
March 11th @ SLIDEBAR in Fullerton, California
March 12th @ THE JOINT in Los Angeles, California
March 13th @ ELBO ROOM in San Francisco, California
March 14th @ BURT’S TIKI LOUNGE in Salt Lake City, Utah
March 15th @ AQUALUNG in Denver, Colorado
March 16th @ FUBAR in St. Louis, Missouri *
* indicates no GRAVEHILL at these shows

Read the rest of this entry »

Stratovarius – Nemesis

New studio album “Nemesis” charts top 50 in six countries

Melodic metal legends STRATOVARIUS are pleased to unleash their “Halcyon Days” video from the band’s latest full-length, “Nemesis”, released via earMUSIC. Hailed by the media as, “the best STRATOVARIUS album since many, many years,” by Metal Hammer Germany, “a collection of the band’s greatest hits that you never heard until now,” by Metal Underground in the US and, “the strongest STRATOVARIUS album since the beginning of the century,” by KaaosZine in Finland, STRATOVARIUS were once again able to live up to their reputation as one of the leading names of the metal genre, once again exceeding fans’ and critics’ expectations and charting all over the world: Finland: # 3, Czech Republic # 12, Switzerland # 30, Spain # 32, Germany # 41, Sweden # 44, France # 56, Norway # 56, Austria # 62, Canada # 126.

Coinciding with the band’s European tour, set to commence in Helsinki, Finland, the band today proudly reveals the video for their second single. The footage for “Halcyon Days” was shot in Lithuania by Pekka Hara, and perfectly captures the song’s theme of finding one’s peace of mind.

At once aggressive and sinister in its almost techno-influenced stormy moments, the chorus and bridge of “Halcyon Days” reflects serenity with its hopeful and powerful melody. Referring to a legend that there were seven days of peace in the midst of a stormy season, the song also features this quiet moment of passing through the eye of the storm.

The band explains: “It was a really nice experience working with Pekka and his team, and Lithuania was a pleasant surprise, very friendly people there and everything worked out great. This video sets the mood of the song perfectly. And the fact is: a band is nothing without the fans.”

Prior to the video shoot, the band had launched a fan competition asking their supporters to send a picture of their most prized STRATOVARIUS item. Over 100 items were sent, of which the band handpicked the 10 most original objects, which are now featured in the video. Over the course of the next weeks, STRATOVARIUS will also launch a special fan item version of the video on their official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/stratovarius.

Watch the video for “Halcyon Days” below:

NORDIC NEXUS OF NEMESIS TOUR 2013

08.03. Helsinki – Tavastia (FIN)

09.03. Kauhava – Tiikeri (FIN)

15.03. St. Petersburg – Aurora Hall (R)

20.03. München – Backstage Halle (GER)

21.03. Erfurt – Stadtgarten (GER)

22.03. Zlin – Masters of Rock Café (CZ)

23.03. Budapest – Club 202 (H)

24.03. Bratislava – Majestic Club (SK)

26.03. Vienna – Szene (A)

27.03. Nürnberg – Hirsch (GER)

28.03. Bochum – Matrix (GER)

29.03. Hamburg – Grünspan (GER)

30.03. Uden – De Pul (NL)

31.03. Paris – Cigale (F)

02.04. Strassburg – La Laiterie (F)

03.04. Lyon – Le Kao (F)

05.04. Barcelona – Razzmatazz (E)

06.04. Madrid – Arena (E)

07.04. Bilbao – Rock Star (E)

09.04. Pratteln – Z7 (CH)

10.04. Milan – Alcatrazz (I)

11.04. Ludwigsburg – Rockfabrik (GER)

12.04. Aschaffenburg  - Colos-Saal (GER)

13.04. Mons – PPM Fest (Festival) (B)

14.04. Osnabrück – Rosenhof (GER)

16.04. Copenhagen – Amager Bio (DK)

17.04. Malmö – KB (S)

18.04. Stockholm – Klubben (S)

19.04. Lahti – Finlandia-klubi (FIN)

20.04. Tampere – Pallahuone (FIN)

26.04. Mikkeli – Vaakuna (FIN)

27.04. Jyväskylä – Lutakko (FIN)

30.04. Helsinki – Virgin Oil (FIN)

18.05. Sao Paulo – Carioca Club (BRA)

24.05. Santiago – Blondie (CHI)

15.06. Kaarina – Saaristo Open 2013 (FIN)

www.stratovarius.com

www.ear-music.net

www.youtube.com/earMUSICofficial

www.facebook.com/earMUSICofficial

www.twitter.com/earMUSICedel

The 1st of March 2013

Pakkahuone Tampere Finland

Back in the 80’s, the speed/thrash metal phenomenon spread out like a wildfire all around the world. The speed/thrash mania hit the Finnish soil and new bands started out and popped up in several towns and villages in Finland. Getting a deal with labels was definitely a dream-come-true for several bands. One of these young acts was Stone, who managed to seal the first deal as a speed/thrash metal outfit in Finland. Their self titled debut album drove young metal kids totally crazy and Stone left their mark on Finnish metal history forever. After their four albums in the early 90’s, Stone just went on a long-term hiatus until the late 90’s and early 2000 the speed/thrash legends got on stage. Since then the four-piece has occasionally gigged when time has permitted. Stone announced their return to the stage by doing a handful of shows crisscrossing Finland. The tickets sold like hot cakes. The gig in Tampere was basically one of kind and unique as the roster consisted of two other speed/thrash bands from the heyday of the 80’s namely A.R.G (Ancient Rotten Graveguards) and Santa Lucia. The whole venue was entirely packed by hundreds of old school metal worshippers. Read the rest of this entry »

SOILWORK – Interview with Björn “Speed” Strid

By Peter Atkinson

Photos from facebook.com/soilwork

Read the rest of this entry »

Purchase prints for a chance to win PRS SE Paul Allender signature guitar and signature strings

MINNEAPOLIS, MN – Paul Allender, lead guitarist for acclaimed British heavy metal act, Cradle of Filth, has launched a contest through his Vomitorium Art Prints, offering fans the chance to win a PRS SE Paul Allender signature guitar and signature strings. All customers who purchase two Vomitorium Art Prints (https://www.facebook.com/vomitoriumltd/posts/433970770013832 ) before March 28, 2013 will be automatically placed into the draw. Each A3 print is of high photographic quality. Email: paul@winterlandstudios.com for more information and to place orders.

Follow Paul Allender on Facebook: www.facebook.com/vomitoriumltd and Twitter @AllenderPaul for the latest info.

Cradle of Filth online…

http://www.cradleoffilth.com

http://www.theorderofthedragon.com

http://www.facebook.com/cradleoffilth

http://www.youtube.com/cradleoffilth

http://www.twitter.com/OfficialCoF

http://www.nuclearblastusa.com

Finland’s youngest thrash export LOST SOCIETY have posted part 4 of their hilarious track-by-track video series here:

Lost Society – Fast Loud Death

Other track-by-track video segments:

Part 1 http://youtu.be/kmDNf9vmkqQ
Part 2 http://bit.ly/XrgPQx
Part 3 http://bit.ly/YxmnbG

The brand new track “Braindead Metalhead” available for streaming at the following location http://bit.ly/XfD137. The track comes from LOST SOCIETY’s upcoming debut entitled Fast Loud Death. You can also listen to the first single “Trash All Over You” via their official band page (http://bit.ly/taoyfree) on the Nuclear Blast website and download the track for free. Find out why thrash legends like Mille of KREATOR, Schmier of DESTRUCTION, Andreas Kisser of SEPULTURA and many others praise LOST SOCIETY today!

LOST SOCIETY’s debut album Fast Loud Death was crafted under the watchful eye of famous producer Nino Laurenne (AMORPHIS, ENSIFERUM, LORDI) at the prestigious Sonic Pump Studios (FINNTROLL, SONATA ARCTICA, OMNIUM GATHERUM). The fantastic cover artwork was designed by no less than the infamous Ed Repka (MEGADETH, DEATH, SANCTUARY, VENOM).

Watch the present the official video clip for the song “KILL (Those Who Oppose Me)” at the following location: http://youtu.be/_VYaSmFcfVM.

Fast Loud Death will be available in North America both digitally and physically with two bonus tracks via Nuclear Blast on April 2.

Fast Loud Death track listing:
01. N.W.L.

02. Trash All Over You

03. E.A.G.

04. KILL (Those Who Oppose Me)
05. Bitch, Out’ My Way

06. Fast Loud Death

07. Lead Through The Head

08. Diary Of A Thrashman

09. Toxic Avenger

10. This Is Me

11. Braindead Metalhead

12. Piss Out My Ass

13. Fatal Anoxia

Bonus tracks:

14. Escape From Delirium

15. I Stole Your Love (KISS cover song)

17, 18, 19, 19. No that’s not today’s winning lottery numbers, it’s the age of the band members of Finland’s most promising new contemporary thrash combo. Founded in early 2010 in Jyväskylä by thrash/speed metal enthusiast Samy Elbanna, the front man gathered an ensemble of passionate allies around him to establish a band that soon would become known as the most energetic up-and-comers Scandinavia had seen in years – LOST SOCIETY!

LOST SOCIETY, went to London on December 9^th, 2012 to play at the finals of the renowned “Global Battle Of The Bands” (GBOB). The boys would like to share their great memories of this thrilling trip with you, and have now uploaded a hilarious behind the scenes video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY4pT_IBcRU

For more info visit: www.facebook.com/lostsocietyfinland | www.nuclearblast.de/lostsociety

QUEENSRYCHE – ‘Frequency Unknown’

The year is 2013 and revolution is calling once again for Queensryche front man Geoff Tate, who is leading the charge with the band’s forthcoming studio effort titled, Frequency Unknown, due out April 23 on Deadline Music/Cleopatra Records.

Although “F.U.” might be perceived as a fitting tribute and salutation, it is, without question, a no-holds barred album of new music featuring original Queensryche vocalist Geoff Tate along with an entirely new line-up consisting of bassist Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot/Ozzy Osbourne/Whitesnake/Dio/Blue Oyster Cult), guitarist Robert Sarzo (Hurricane), drummer Simon Wright (AC/DC/Dio), guitarist Kelly Gray (Queensryche 1998 – 2001) and keyboardist Randy Gane (Myth).

For Frequency Unknown, Tate and company invited a few of their friends to come join in on the recording “fun” for what will mark Queensryche’s thirteenth studio album.

The result?

An album containing ten new hard-hitting, distinctively Queensryche songs, four newly-recorded Queensryche classics and an array of well-known guests including guitarists Chris Poland (Megadeth), Dave Meniketti (Y&T), Brad Gillis (Night Ranger), Ty Tabor (King’s X), K.K. Downing (Judas Priest), Craig Locicero (Forbidden) and Chris Cannella along with drummers Paul Bostaph (Slayer/Testament) and Evan Bautista.

Also appearing on the album will be bassist Jason Slater, who has worked on several previous Queensryche projects with Tate including Operation: Mindcrime II and American Soldier.

Slater co-wrote some of the songs on Frequency Unknown with Geoff Tate and is also the album’s Producer.

“I think that the idea of having guest appearances evolved from the time constraints we had imposed on the project,” states Tate. “And I must say that I was humbled by the enthusiasm and excitement of all the players that contributed.”

Frequency Unknown Track Listing

Cold
Dare
Give it to You
Slave
In the Hands of God
Running Backwards
Life Without You
Everything
Fallen
The Weight of the World

Bonus Tracks
(newly-recorded Queensryche classics)

I Don’t Believe in Love
Empire
Jet City Woman
Silent Lucidity

Although times have changed for Geoff Tate, his hard rock wavelength, as represented on Frequency Unknown, remains the same.

With Geoff at the helm, Queensryche has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide, toured in approximately 50 countries and received four Grammy nominations.

He remains one of the most well-known and respected vocalists in the history of hard rock and heavy metal.

Frequency Unknown.

Coincidental abbreviation?
Unlikely.

Fun for all metal heads to sink their teeth into?

Definitely.

Feel free to feast.

Please note: Beginning on April 6th at the Peppermill Casino in West Wenover, Nevada, the band will be hitting the road to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of its epic 1988 release, Operation: Mindcrime. The performance will include all fifteen songs from the album (including “Revolution Calling,” “Operation: Mindcrime,” I Don’t Believe in Love” and “Eyes of a Stranger”) along with other well-known hits and rarities from the catalog they’ve compiled over the past 30 years (see current tour itinerary below).

Operation: Mindcrime was recently named one of the Top 10 Concept Albums of All Time by Guitar World magazine.

25TH ANNIVERSARY OPERATION: MINDCRIME TOUR 2013*

April 6 – Peppermill Casino in West Wendover, Nevada
April 9 – Belly Up in Aspen, Colorado
April 10 – Mesa Theater in Grand Junction, Colorado
April 11 – Paramount Theatre in Denver, Colorado
April 12 – Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Albuquerque, New Mexico
April 13 – Chrome in Las Vegas, Nevada
April 14 – Marquee Theater in Tempe, Arizona
April 16 – Rialto Theatre in Tucson, Arizona
April 17 – The Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, California
April 18 – The Canyon Club in Agoura, California
April 19 – Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach, California
April 20 – Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California
April 21 – Fillmore in San Francisco, California
April 22 – Ace of Spades in Sacramento, California
April 24 – Emo’s in Austin, Texas
April 25 – The Concert Pub North in Houston, Texas
May 16 – Potawatomi Casino in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
May 17 – The Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois
May 18 – St. Croix Casino in Turtle Lake, Wisconsin

*More dates to be announced.

For more information on Queensryche, please visit the following:

www.queensryche.com

www.facebook.com/Queensryche

www.facebook.com/GeoffTateOfficial

www.twitter.com/GeoffTate

Brutal Western Canadian death metallers XUL have posted the following news update on their upcoming EP to follow up their debut album ‘Malignance’, which they are currently offering as a FREE DOWNLOAD here. (http://xulmetal.bandcamp.com/album/malignance) If you’re a fan of Behemoth, Dissection and Immortal this is one album not to be missed as the band forges their brand of Blackened Death Metal

“We are happy to announce some of the details regarding our EP. First of all, It will feature a track called “Summon the Swarm”, which we have played live now for quite some time. There will also be three other tracks on the EP. Each of the songs has their own elements that make them unique and we feel it really shows the progression of our musicianship. We will be recording with Jeff Bryan once again to maintain the high quality we had on Malignance. There’s not a whole lot more I can say, but we are extremely excited to head into the studio again in such a short period of time. These are the best songs we have to date and a lot of emotion and time has been spent! We will keep you     updated along the journey… until then… Pilsner and METAL! – Levi”

XUL will also be announcing the winners of their February contest for 1 of 3 stellar designed XUL shirts (pic below) that fans had the chance to win when they downloaded the band’s debut full length ‘Malignance’ for free.  Read the rest of this entry »

Seymour Duncan recently conducted an interview with legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen. You can now watch the chat below.

As previously reported, Malmsteen will release his autobiography entitled “Relentless: The Memoir” on May 21 via Wiley.

The book’s official description: “Yngwie Malmsteen’s revolutionary guitar style — combining elements of classical music with the speed and volume of heavy metal — made him a staple of the 80s rock scene. Decades later, he’s still a legend among guitarists, having sold 11 million albums and influenced generations of rockers since. In ‘Relentless’, Malmsteen shares his personal story, from the moment he burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere in the early ’80s to become a household name in the annals of heavy metal. Along the way, he talks about his first bands, going solo, his songwriting and recording process, and the seedy side of the rock business.”

The 288-page book is available for pre-order via Amazon.

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN – RELENTLESS THE MEMOIR!

Former MEGADETH and KING DIAMOND guitarist Glen Drover — who left Geoff Tate’s version of QUEENSRŸCHE before playing a single show with the band — will join the Todd La Torre-fronted QUEENSRŸCHE on stage this coming Thursday, March 7 at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to perform the QUEENSRŸCHE classic “Take Hold Of The Flame”.

QUEENSRŸCHE 2012

In a posting on his Twitter account, Glen wrote: “Going up onstage with the REAL QUEENSRŸCHE and play ‘Take Hold Of The Flame’ this thursday at the Phoenix in Toronto. Going to be fun stuff!”

Read the rest of this entry »

New music, pre-orders, and more coming March 11th

After two years of relentless touring in North America, Europe, Russia, China, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia and Australia, The Ocean have resurfaced with what could be their deepest and most trailblazing piece of work to date, Pelagial. The album is a progressive musical journey; written, recorded, mixed and to-be-performed-live as one single 53-minute piece of music. Mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, Witchcraft) at Fascination Street Studios in Örebrö, Sweden, Pelagial is set to be released on April 26th / 29th (Europe) and April 30th (North America / world) through Metal Blade Records.

Pelagial will be released as a double CD, including a vocal and an instrumental version of the album. Instrumental samples of tracks, as well as the limited vinyl pre-orders, are up now on theoceancollective.com/pelagial, which also serves to showcase the concept behind Pelagial, as well as divulging more information about the album. The CD version will be released in a 10-panel digipak with epic artwork by Seldon Hunt.

A full new song, as well as pre-orders, will be officially launched at metalblade.com/theocean on March 11th, 2013. Until then, fans can whet their appetites at theoceancollective.com/pelagial.

https://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective

Virginia-based melodic tech-death metal masters, ARSIS, have announced Unwelcome as the title of their upcoming fifth full-length album. The follow up to their 2010 release Starve for the Devil, will be released on April 30, 2013 in North America via Nuclear Blast records.

“At this point ARSIS has more than a few releases in our catalogue and we are about to have one more, Unwelcome,” commented founder and lead guitarist/vocalist James Malone. “Of all the albums we have done, Unwelcome is an album that I wanted to define the band’s sound. We were all focused for the writing and recording and the end product reflects this.  Get ready for Unwelcome to see the light of day on April 30th through Nuclear Blast USA and for ARSIS to be destroying the new material live throughout May with HYPOCRISY, KRISIUN, and ABORTED!!!”

Read the rest of this entry »

“Raging Death” to be released May, 14th!

Swedish death metal act, ENTRAILS, have launched the first single and released the art for their third album, Raging Death! Visit www.metalblade.com/entrails to check out the stunning artwork for Raging Death, as well as the first single In Pieces!

The band comments: “This is the perfect next step for ENTRAILS. A massive stench of death, right in your face! ‘Raging Death’ as a title suited the album as a whole, since it’s pure death metal without mercy!”

Raging Death will be released the 10th/13th of May via Metal Blade Records in Europe on vinyl, as a limited digi-cd with bonus cd and as a jewel case CD. In North America, the CD will be released on May14th. Only the European vinyl version and the limited digi-CD will include the MARDUK cover, Dark Endless, as a bonus track! More details on the content of the bonus cd will be revealed shortly.

Raging Death was recorded in different studios: the drum recordings took place at the Racetrack studios while the bulk of the record was tracked at guitarist Jimmy Lundqvist’s The Crypt recording studios. The album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound. Read the rest of this entry »

HYPOCRISY

Swedish death metal legends HYPOCRISY, have just uploaded a short documentary detailing the making-of the “End Of Disclosure” video clip, which recently took place in Stockholm, Sweden. Watch the footage here: http://youtu.be/B195M02nmq4. The final music video for the title-track of their upcoming masterpiece End Of Disclosure can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJsdZ2FR3WM. The clip was directed by Ville Lipiainen (AMORPHIS, NIGHTWISH, THE 69 EYES).

HYPOCRISY will return to North America once again this May for a headlining tour in support of their upcoming album, End Of Disclosure! Joining them are Brazilian brothers in death KRISIUN, Belgian gore-grinders ABORTED, and technical-melodic-death-masters ARSIS! AUTUMN’S END and STARKILL will also support them on their metal crusade across the continent on select shows.

Read the rest of this entry »