JOHNNY TOUCH: "End of Daze" now playing at New Noise Magazine

New Noise Magazine is streaming "End of Daze" from Australian Traditional Heavy Metal juggernaut JOHNNY TOUCH. The song, which comes off the band's forthcoming Shadow Kingdom Records release Inner City Wolves is now playing at this location.  

JOHNNY TOUCH previously released a demo tape and two split 7-inch records and are barely known outside of their homeland. Inner City Wolves is an amazing debut and serves as an example of a band creating an original work that will leave a lasting impression on the heavy metal world. Led by a first rate vocalist and taking the best parts of JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, and METALLICA, with YNGWIE MALMSTEEN style ripping leads that shred the soul, Inner City Wolves gets it right across the board! The songwriting is extremely complex, yet catchy as hell. Get ready for what is sure to be considered one of the best heavy metal albums of 2014 and a stone cold classic for years to come.

Inner City Wolves will be out on August 19 on Shadow Kingdom Records.

"The release from the Australians is sure to leave a footprint on the world of Heavy Metal, ....one of the best releases of the year Inner City Wolves" 10/10 - Metal Temple

"This is the sound of tape trading days in a heavy metal parking lots outside of a Judas Priest show, where metal heads shared the latest news of the underground metal scene from Europe to New York to Los Angeles with freshly mimeographed newsletters." 

- Dangerdog Music Reviews

Ordering and release information for this and other Shadow Kingdom Records releases can be found at this location. 

www.facebook.com/JohnnyTouchAus

Comatose Music to Release BLOODSOAKED's 'Religious Apocalypse' September 2

BLOODSOAKED returns in 2014 with new album Religious Apocalypse to be released September 2 on Comatose Music. Now with the addition of a second guitarist BLOODSOAKED are ready to annihilate all that is holy with their old school storm of ravaging ferocity. Religious Apocalypse contains new tracks, live cuts, and surprise covers of RATT's "You're in Love" and CINDERELLA's "Shake Me!" BLOODSOAKED has mastered the craft of combining the classic death metal feel with precision modern production to create a supreme blend of total sonic destruction. See BLOODSOAKED on their US tour in November 2014 and European tour in April 2015! The official video for the album's title track can be viewed at this location.  1. Devouring      2. Abomination      3. Religious Apocalypse      4. Shake Me (Cinderella Cover)      5. You're in Love (Ratt Cover)      6. Suicide (Live)      7. No God (Live)      8. Infestation (Live)      9. Grinding Your Guts (Live) Pre-order Religious Apocalypse from Comatose Music HERE. www.bloodsoaked.net www.facebook.com/bloodsoaked666

Al Crespo from Unbreakable on This Weeks Focus on Metal

Episode 193 - Unbreakable

Remember when you used to eagerly await the release of the next Scorpions album? Thanks to the vision of Herman Rarebell that experience may have returned. Herman got heavily involved with a young German band Unbreakable and the result is an amazing debut release Knockout. This week we sit down with Al Crespo the vocalist of Unbreakable to get the whole story.

Find out more about Unbreakable at: http://www.unbreakable-music.com/. While you're there be sure to check out the video for their lead single "Rock The Nightlife" featuring a cameo from "ze German".

Grab it now from the Focus on Metal Site, The Focus on Metal RSS feed, The Cast Iron Ring or on iTunes

And as always Focus On Metal…Everything Else is Insignificant.

RHINO BUCKET FRONTMAN TO JOIN HELLION AS RHYTHM GUITARIST AND BACKING VOCALIST ON UPCOMING TOUR

L.A. based metal act HELLION have announced that RHINO BUCKET front man, Georg Dolivo, will be joining Hellion as their rhythm guitarist and backing vocalist on Hellion’s upcoming North American “Karma’s A Bitch” tour in October.

“I am excited to be a part of what the new Hellion is doing, I've always been a fan of Ann and her incredible voice.” said Georg Dolivo in a recent interview.  “It’s especially great to be back working again with Simon Wright. And having Scott Warren and Maxxxwell Carlisle in the band as well is an added bonus!”  

“We rehearsed over the weekend and the band sounded heavy and tight. It was massive!” continued Georg Dolivo.  “I'm really looking forward to being involved in Hellion as I think the band rocks.”

RHINO BUCKET released two albums through Warner Brothers in the 1990s, followed by four more on Acetate Records.   Georg Dolivo will continue to write and record with RHINO BUCKET.

HELLION release their new five-song mini-LP October 7th in the USA on New Renaissance Records and October 8th in the UK and Europe on HNE/Cherry Red Records.  Pre-orders for Hellion’s new CD can me made through Amazon.com at this link:  http://www.amazon.com/Karmas-Bitch-Hellion/dp/B00LZI3WVA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1406339010&sr=1-1 .  HELLION is also offering a special pre-order deal on HELLION’s “Karma’s A Bitch” fan-pack (which will be delivered before the tour starts) at:  www.hellion.us/store 

HELLION’s North American tour kicks off October 2nd in Los Angeles with the band’s first show and record release party.  While shows continue to be added, Hellion’s current North American Tour Dates are:

October

2 - Whiskey a Go Go - Los Angeles, CA

3 - Count Vamp'd - Las Vegas, NV

4 - Cactus Moon - Mesa, AZ

7 - Lasalle’s - Chico, CA

9 - The Hop - Spokane, WA

10 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA

11- The Bouquet - Boise, ID

15 - Red Line Tap - Chicago, IL

16 – Dead Horse – Pittsburgh, PA

17 - Rock Pile West - Toronto, ON

18 - Obsession Live - Ottawa, ON

19 - Legendary Dobbs - Philadelphia, PA

20 – Dead Fish Cantina – Baltimore, MD

22 - Devils Tail - Junction City, KS

23 -The Vanguard - Tulsa, OK

24 -The Chameleon Room - Oklahoma City, OK

25 - Concert Pub North Metal Fest - Houston, TX

30 - Brick By Brick - San Diego, CA

RISE OF THE NORTH STAR Reveal "Welcame" Details

Magna-influenced French thrashers RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR have announced the September 22 release of their debut full-length, Welcame, on Repression Records.

The album's cover art can be seen below and the video for the album's title track has been posted at this location.

RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR is a young thrash band whose spirit was born in the back alleys of 1980's Shibuya. Indeed, Japanese culture, mangas and its "Furyos" all blend into ROTNS's sound. Through its lyrics, music and imagery, the band created itself a unique identity, bringing together 90's New York Hardcore, Shonen manga and contemporary metal-core... Tokyo hold on tight, RISE OF THE NORTHSTAR is coming.

www.facebook.com/rotnsofficial

www.riseofthenorthstar.com

MASSIVE ANNOUNCE UK TOUR WITH THE TREATMENT

Aussie rockers MASSIVE have announced dates for a UK tour supporting Cambridge rockers THE TREATMENT.

The tour kicks off on October 6th in Newcastle and also includes support from BUFFALO SUMMER.  The tour will mark the first ever European shows for MASSIVE - notorious road dogs who once famously travelled 1,000 miles to play a single show.  The band will be playing in support of their debut album, FULL THROTTLE, which was released this week.  Tickets for the tour go on sale this Friday, July 25th.

Don't miss MASSIVE on tour in the UK with THE TREATMENT and BUFFALO SUMMER at the following shows:

Oct. 06 - Newcastle, UK - Think Tank
Oct. 07 - Glasgow, UK - O2 ABC 2
Oct. 08 - Wolverhampton, UK - Slade Rooms
Oct. 09 - Northampton, UK - Roadmender
Oct. 10 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City Basement
Oct. 11 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
Oct. 12 - Liverpool, UK - Arts Club
Oct. 14 - Leeds, UK - Cockpit
Oct. 15 - Cardiff, UK - Clwb Ifor Bach
Oct. 16 - London, UK - Underworld
Oct. 17 - Colchester, UK - Arts Centre
Oct. 19 - Norwich, UK - Studio
Oct. 20 - Southampton, UK - Joiners
Oct. 21 - Exeter, UK - Cavern
Oct. 23 - Brighton, UK - Audio

View the tour flyer at http://bit.ly/1jV5d9t

MASSIVE's debut album FULL THROTTLE was originally released independently in 2013 in the band's homeland of Australia, and is finally available now in the rest of the world, featuring four newly-recorded bonus tracks which weren't available on the original release, including two brand new original songs plus covers of AC/DC's "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and AEROSMITH's "Rats in the Cellar".

FULL THROTTLE is out now worldwide on CD, as well as limited edition coloured double vinyl in the following quantities and colours:

100 - Ghost White Marble
200 - Hot Rod Red/Yellow
300 - Massive Pink
400 - Black

Get FULL THROTTLE now on CD and coloured vinyl in Europe at http://webstore.earache.com/massive or in North America at http://uswebstore.earache.com/massive

FULL THROTTLE is also available now on iTunes, including all four bonus tracks, at http://bit.ly/fullthrottle-itunes

Watch MASSIVE's music video for the single "One By One" at http://youtu.be/XDmzOgGyWy4

MASSIVE are BRAD MARR (vocals, guitar), BEN LAGUDA (vocals, lead guitar), AIDAN McGARRIGLE (backing vocals, bass), and JARROD MEDWIN (backing vocals, drums).

View some photos of the band at http://bit.ly/1cnct4V

Get more MASSIVE news and info:

Official site - http://www.massiveoz.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MassiveOz
Twitter - http://twitter.com/MassiveOz
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/MassiveOz

HERETIC'S DREAM Sign With Agoge Records

Italian rock/metal band HERETIC’S DREAM have inked a deal with Italian label AGOGE RECORDS. The band is working on the third album with producer Gianmarco Bellumori (New Disorder, Sin Of Night, Element of Chaos). The new album will be recorded, mixed and mastered in Bellumori’s Wolf Recording studio. The release expected for the end of 2014. HERETIC’S DREAM first two albums received very good critic’s by international press and the he band performed more than 100 shows in two years. HERETIC’S DREAM are: Francesca Di Ventura – vocals Andrej Surace – guitars Carlo Nicolucci – guitars Daniele Cortese – drums Jacopo Greci – bass HERETIC’S DREAM was formed in 2010 by guitarist Andrej Surace and vocalist Francesca Di Ventura. The debut album, “The Unexpected Move” was released in 2012 and received good international reviews. The two official videos awarded as Best Recommended Videos on UnoTv in October 2012. HERETIC’S DREAM second album, “Walk the time“, was released in 2013. The album featured special guests like Terence Holler (Eldritch), Steve Volta (Pino Scotto’s Band), Pier Gonella (Mastercastle, Necrodeath), Gabriele Caselli (Eldritch), Marco Pastorino (Secret Sphere), and Gabriele Bellini (Pulse-R). The band shared stages and toured in the past with RICHIE KOTZEN, CRUCIFIED BARBARA, GODYVA, to name a few. HERETIC’S DREAM joined now forces with the Italian producer Gianmarco Bellumori (Agoge Records) and the band announces a change in sound, on vocals and arrangements. www.facebook.com/pages/Heretics-Dream/229362950413489

Jolly Roger Records announces the come-back of GUNFIRE with their new releae "Age of Supremacy"

Jolly Roger Records proudly announces the come-back of  italian GUNFIRE with their new concept-album "Age of Supremacy", out on 8th September on Cd format. The idea behind the album is the history of mankind that left the earth 1000 years ago and is now divided into two factions that  evolved in different ways. The story is not based on the fight between good and evil  but rather the inability of communication between two  peoples in the distant and hypothetical  future, as often happens today. This is the reason of war and destruction.

Gunfire were born in Ancona in 1983 and in 1984 they recorded their first, self-titled mini Lp (4 tracks), nowadays a pretty rare and expensive collectable item. They broke in 1986 and came back in 2000 with original line-up, except the drummer, adding a second guitar. "Thunder of War" was released in 2005 by German label Battle Cry. Drummer Marco Bianchella plays also in symphonic-gothic band The Dogma.

Following this link you can listen to new track "Man and Machine".
http://www.jollyrogerstore.com/release.php?id=44

Tracklist :

PRELUDE

WAR EXTREME

MAN AND MACHINE

THE CITY OF LIGHT

HAMMER OF GOD

VOICES FROM A DISTANT SUN

THE WIZARD

SUPERIOR MIND

FIRE IN THE SKY

EXODUS

Line-up :

ROBERTO ‘DRAKE’ BORRELLI  - VOCALS

LUCA CALO’ – GUITARS

MARCELLO LAMMOGLIA – GUITARS

MICHELE MENGONI – BASS

MARCO BIANCHELLA - DRUMS

Lizzy Borden Announces 30th Anniversary Tour Dates

Lizzy Borden has announced tour dates for their 30 years of American Metal Tour. The anniversary show features songs from each and every Lizzy Borden record to date, including classic songs like "Me against the World", "American Metal", "Master of Disguise".
  

UPCOMING LIZZY BORDEN TOUR DATES:
   
July 24, 2014 Lima, Peru Centrica
July 26. 2014 Bogota, Colombia Ozzy Rock Bar
August 1, 2014 Incheon, South Korea Pentaport Rock Festival
August 14, 2014 Forth Worth, TX Rail Club
August 15, 2014 Houston, TX Concert Pub North Theater
August 16, 2014 San Antonio, TX. Fitzgerald's
October 10, 2014 North Platte, Nebraska Skull Fest
October 11, 2014 Denver, CO Wolf Fest
Nov 7, 2014 Madrid, Spain We Rock
Nov 8, 2014 Zaragossa, Spain Teatro de las Esquinas
Nov 9, 2014 Donostia, Spain Doka
Nov 11, 2014 Eisden/Maasmechelen, Belgium Rock Club Jan Hertog
Nov 12, 2014 Tilburg, Holland Little Devil
Nov 14, 2014 Lichtenfels, Germany Paunchy Cats
Nov 15, 2014 Uster, CH Star Club
Nov 16, 2014 Bologna, Italy Freak Out
Nov 17, 2014 Brecia, Italy Colony
Nov 21, 2014 Vienna, Austria Escape
Nov 22, 2014 Zlin, Czech Republic Monsters of Rock Festival
Nov 23, 2014 Moscow, Russia Voltaclub

Click here for larger poster - Poster by: VampVisuals     "We are all very excited to Perform our Anniversary show all over the world and can’t wait to celebrate with all of our friends/fans for this monumental milestone. see you all soon", Lizzy     Official website at: www.lizzyborden.com or www.facebook.com/lizzybordenband

MASSIVE: DEBUT ALBUM 'FULL THROTTLE' OUT NOW IN EUROPE

FULL THROTTLE, the stomping debut album from Aussie rockers MASSIVE, is out now in Europe.

Originally released independently in 2013 in the band's homeland of Australia, FULL THROTTLE is finally being released in the rest of the world and features four newly-recorded bonus tracks which weren't available on the original release, including two brand new original songs plus covers of AC/DC's "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and AEROSMITH's "Rats in the Cellar".

FULL THROTTLE is available now in Europe on CD and digital download, as well as on limited edition coloured double vinyl in the following quantities and colours:

100 - Ghost White Marble
200 - Hot Rod Red/Yellow
300 - Massive Pink
400 - Black

Get FULL THROTTLE now on CD and coloured vinyl in Europe at http://webstore.earache.com/massive

The album is also available now in Europe on iTunes, including all four bonus tracks, at http://bit.ly/1wQjcxD

FULL THROTTLE is also available now on Spotify, including exclusive track by track commentaries recorded by the band, at http://spoti.fi/1wQkw3H

Watch MASSIVE's music video for the single "One By One" at http://youtu.be/XDmzOgGyWy4

MASSIVE are BRAD MARR (vocals, guitar), BEN LAGUDA (vocals, lead guitar), AIDAN McGARRIGLE (backing vocals, bass), and JARROD MEDWIN (backing vocals, drums).

View some photos of the band at http://bit.ly/1cnct4V

Get more MASSIVE news and info:

Official site - http://www.massiveoz.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MassiveOz
Twitter - http://twitter.com/MassiveOz
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/MassiveOz

Raff to finally release their debut on CD after a 30 year wait.

Italian HM legend Raff signed a deal with Jolly Roger Records for Cd edition of their long awaited first album, to be out 8th September, Lp edition is already available from Cruz del Sur Music. Most of the songs were originally recorded in 1983, supposed to be released by King Steve Records on debut "Gates of Fortune" Lp, which never came out. All tracks have been re-recorded in 2013 and finally officially released 30 years later! Raff prove true music is ageless.

You can listen to "Raff Force Commandos" on this link :
http://www.jollyrogerstore.com/release.php?id=43

Tracklist :

RAFF FORCE COMMANDOS

RUNNING LIKE HELL

I TRUST

ROCKER

LIVE IT LOUD

WATCH IT

DREAMER

SIGNAL FROM HELL

ALL FOR ONE (I WANT YOU NOW)

DRIVEN MAD

GATES OF FORTUNE

ROCK THE WORLD (Bonus Track)

Line-up on "Raff" :
CHRIS BIANCO - VOCALS & BASS
TONY ARCURI - GUITARS
FABIANO "MASTER" BIANCO - DRUMS

HELLION ANNOUNCES DETAILS OF NEW “KARMA’S A BITCH” MINI ALBUM AND NORTH AMERICAN TOUR

Iconic female-fronted metal act HELLION announce details of their first new album and tour in over a decade.  Entitled Karma’s A Bitch, HELLION’s new mini-LP is set for release October 7 on New Renaissance Records in the US, and via HNE/Cherry Red Records on October 8 in Europe and the UK.  The cover artwork (featured below) was designed by British artist Wolven Claws of The Crystallomantic Art.

With a stellar line-up featuring vocalist Ann Boleyn, drummer Simon Wright (formerly of AC/DC, DIO, and UFO), keyboardist Scott Warren (formerly with DIO and HEAVEN & HELL), bassist Bjorn Englen (formerly with Yngwie Malmsteen), and up-an-coming shred guitarist Maxxxwell Carlisle, this is easily Hellion's strongest line-up ever.

HELLION’s new tracks were produced by Simon Wright and Ann Boleyn alongside legendary British studio icon Ken Scott, who has produced iconic albums, including DAVID BOWIE's "Hunky Dory", "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars", "Aladdin Sane" and "Pinups".

A top producer at Abbey Road Studios, Scott is also acknowledged as one of the five principal engineers for THE BEATLES.  He has engineered countless classic works, including GEORGE HARRISON's "All Things Must Pass", ELTON JOHN's "Madman Across The Water", "Honky Chateau" and "Don't Shoot Me I'm Only The Piano Player."  Other credits include gold and platinum albums by SUPERTRAMP, DAVID BOWIE, MISSING PERSONS, KANZAS, and more.

Scott recently said of the comparison between working with David Bowie and Ann Boleyn: "Working with Bowie or working with Ann of HELLION, you've got sheer talent.”

Acknowledging Boleyn as the driving force propelling the band, Scott notes: "Over the years, the musicians have changed. The one musician that has always been the same is Ann. So once again, it's new musicians. The one constant thing about HELLION is Ann, and her incredible voice."

“Starting off with a mysterious and ethereal ghostly introduction, Betrayer quickly blasts into overdrive with a scream from Hell and the raw power the likes of which can only come from Ann Boleyn,” commented Rob DiMartini of Metal Scream Radio.  “The title track, Karma's A Bitch, is a tough sounding rocker destined to be one of the strongest songs on metal radio this year.”

Di Martini continued, ”Hell Has No Fury delivers full-tilt metal with a sublime orchestral section by Scott Warren and the blistering guitar work of Maxwell Carlisle. Watch The City Burn takes listeners on an in-depth journey into the anger and chaos of a full-blown riot. The final piece, Til The End, begins with the hammering double-bass power grove of Simon Wright at his finest. With an anthem-like melody, this is a song that fans will be singing along with when Hellion hits the road.”


Hellion’s new CD can be pre-ordered through Amazon.com at:  http://www.amazon.com/Karmas-Bitch-Hellion/dp/B00LZI3WVA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1405970177&sr=1-1   A fan pack will also be available through Hellion’s official website at:  http://www.hellion.com


Hellion’s new song, “Hell Has No Fury” is available for streaming at:  https://soundcloud.com/new-renaissance-records/26-hell-has-no-fury


HELLION is set to kick off their North American tour in October (see below).

October 2 - Whiskey a Go Go (Los Angeles, CA)

October 3 - Count Vamp'd (Las Vegas, NV)

October 4 – Cactus Moon (Mesa, AZ)

October 7 – Lasalle’s (Chico, CA)

October 9 – The Hop (Spokane, WA)

October 10 - El Corazon (Seattle, WA)

October 11- The Bouquet (Boise, ID)

October 15 – Red Line Tap (Chicago, IL)

October 16 - TBA (Detroit, MI)

October 17 – Rock Pile West (Toronto, ON)

October 18 - Obsession Live (Ottawa, ON)

October 19 - Legendary Dobbs (Philadelphia, PA)

October 22 – Devils Tail (Junction City, KS)

October 23 –The Vanguard (Tulsa, OK)

October 24 --The Chameleon Room (Oklahoma City, OK)

October 25 -- Concert Pub North Metal Fest (Houston, TX)

October 30 – Brick By Brick (San Diego)

Former MEGADETH Members NICK MENZA, JAMES LOMENZO offering Free MP3 Download

Famed MEGADETH alumni drummer Nick Menza and bassist James LoMenzo former MEGADETH, WHITE LION, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is offering a free MP3 download of their version of the METALLICA classic Motorbreath with guitarist / vocalist Davor Garasic from Croatian thrash metal band Sufosia

(the download is available at link location below)

http://nickmenzamusic.bandcamp.com/releases

According to a press release, Menza and LoMenzo recnetley announced a working musical relationship that will lead into a full working, writing, recording and touring band at some point.

Their first encounter / jam session took place on June 25th at Menza's Disintegrator Studios in Studio City, CA where they cracked through some of the old Megadeth catalog along with some of their favorite Metallica and Zeppelin songs.

Nick Menza exclusively told BWBK: James is a top-notch player with a killer sound and I'm totally pumped and looking forward to creating some heavy original material with him once we officially solidified the rest of the line up. he ads, things are still in the developing stages soon as James fulfills his touring obligations with John Fogerty we will sink our teeth into this project. right now we are having some fun and collaborating with other players from around the world via the internet to see what's out there, nothing is set in stone...

James LoMenzo: I've been a fan of Nick's drumming for a long time. Nick is a great guy and he's one of Metal's stand out drummers. It's an honor and a privilege to be making music with him and I look forward to what we'll create.

Menza joined MEGADETH for the 1990 recording "Rust In Peace" and for the next ten years became associated with the band's "classic" and most profitable era.

Following the reissue of the entire MEGADETH catalog, Menza was invited to reunite with the band in 2004. Days after a reunion was announced, Menza was fired after rehearsals and replaced with Shawn Drover. Mustaine said that this was because Nick "just wasn't prepared.

LoMenzo joined MEGADETH in 2006, toured and performed on two of the groups studio albums, 2007 "United Abominations", 2009 "Endgame"  it was then announced in 2010 that original MEGADETH bassist Dave Ellefson would replace LoMenzo.

http://youtu.be/cYe3Fp6JJIs

NEW JUDAS PRIEST RELEASE DEBUTS IN BILLBOARD TOP TEN

Judas Priest's 17th studio effort overall, 'Redeemer of Souls,' is set to debut in the Billboard 200 charts at #6, which is the highest US album chart debut of the legendary British band's career. Also, with a #5 chart debut in Canada, it is the highest chart-peaking album and first top five debut in the Canada Soundscan era. And the album reviews have been some of the best of Priest's entire career as well, including Rolling Stone declaring "'Redeemer' is proof that Priest can still call themselves metal's defenders of the faith," while All Music Guide stated "'Redeemer of Souls' is also the loosest (attitude-wise), leanest (arrangement-wise), and most confident-sounding collection of new material the band has released in ages." It was also recently announced that Priest (singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis) will be hitting the road this fall, along with special guests Steel Panther. To purchase 'Redeemer of Souls' (which is available as both a 13-track standard version and a 18-track deluxe version), follow these links: http://smarturl.it/redeemerofsouls-albm - iTunes  http://smarturl.it/redeemerofsouls-amzn - Amazon The metal gods have returned with the triumphant 'Redeemer of Souls'…and their strongest stateside and Canadian chart positioning ever!   FOR FURTHER INFORMATION VISIT: www.judaspriest.com www.facebook.com/OfficialJudasPriest

INCANTATION Comments on Recent European Tour

US death metal pioneers INCANTATION, who just released their newest full-length album, Dirges of Elysium, have commented on their recently completed European tour. 

Founder/singer/guitarist John McEntee states: "The tour was amazing. The crowds response were absolutely overwhelming. Some of the best of our 25 year career! We sold out four shows and all the other ones were packed to the gills. We sold out of CDs on the tour as well. Listenable [Records] had to do another pressing to cover the demand! I can speak for the whole band when I say thanks so much for the support of the 'Dirges of Elysium' album and our following tour. We look forward to doing more shows to play for all our supporters world wide!

Drummer Kyle Severn followed with: "Many hails to Europe for an amazing tour. Horns held high to tour mates Supreme Lord and Tomasz Reyash. And of course, to my metal brothers John McEntee and Sonny Lombardozzi. This tour was truly amazing. Thank you Europe and we'll see you again in September!" 

"It's loud. It crawls. It rips."  - Invisible Oranges

"Esanguined by the ceaseless onslaught of their peers, Incantation are, more than ever, fixated on the darkness and that slow deathward crawl to return there." - Decibel 

Dirges of Elysium was released on June 24 through Listenable Records. Album track "Carrion Prophesy" is streaming at the link below:

www.metalsucks.net/2014/04/29/exclusive-premiere-incantation-carrion-prophecy/

Dirges of Elysium and more from INCANTATION can be found at: www.incantation.com and shop.listenable.net. 

www.incantation.com 

 www.facebook.com/IncantationOfficial

MASSIVE TAKE OVER ONE OF UK'S BIGGEST BILLBOARDS TO PROMOTE DEBUT ALBUM

Aussie rockers MASSIVE are taking over one of the UK's largest billboards to promote their debut album, FULL THROTTLE, which is due to be released this coming Monday, July 21st.

Starting from Monday, the band will be featured on a 40 foot by 10 foot billboard along the M4 motorway near the junction with London's North Circular road, en route to the world's busiest airport, Heathrow.

For a band who are notorious road dogs - having once famously travelled 1,000 miles to play a single show - and who also feature a classic 1932 Ford Deuce Coupe on their album cover, it only seemed fitting to promote their pedal-to-the-metal debut album on a roadside billboard which will be seen by tens of thousands of drivers each day.

Look out for this billboard along the M4 next week: http://bit.ly/1nOPZ5D

Originally released independently in 2013 in the band's homeland of Australia, FULL THROTTLE is finally being released in the rest of the world, featuring four newly-recorded bonus tracks which weren't available on the original release, including two brand new original songs plus covers of AC/DC's "If You Want Blood (You've Got It)" and AEROSMITH's "Rats in the Cellar".

Listen to preview clips from the full album, including bonus tracks, at http://youtu.be/qkNiJPOFiJc

Pre-order FULL THROTTLE now on CD and limited edition double vinyl in Europe at http://webstore.earache.com/massive or in North America at http://uswebstore.earache.com/massive

FULL THROTTLE is also available to pre-order on iTunes, including three free-in-advance tracks which are available to download immediately when you pre-order, at http://bit.ly/fullthrottle-itunes

Watch MASSIVE's music video for the single "One By One" at http://youtu.be/XDmzOgGyWy4

MASSIVE are BRAD MARR (vocals, guitar), BEN LAGUDA (vocals, lead guitar), AIDAN McGARRIGLE (backing vocals, bass), and JARROD MEDWIN (backing vocals, drums).

View photos of the band at http://bit.ly/1cnct4V

Get more MASSIVE news and info:

Official site - http://www.massiveoz.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/MassiveOz
Twitter - http://twitter.com/MassiveOz
Instagram - http://www.instagram.com/MassiveOz

KEITZER Streaming "The Last Defence" in Full at Apochs.net

German blast-beat lunatics KEITZER and Apoch's Metal Review are offering a limited-time, full-album stream of the band's newest release, The Last Defence. This 14 track blitzkrieg of old-school death and skin-shredding grind can be heard in its entirety from now until its July 18 release date at this location.  

Recorded, mixed and mastered at Soundlodge Studio by Jörg Uken with cover art by Florian Furtkamp, The Last Defence is the sound of KEITZER changing the temperature setting to 'face-melt.'  

The official video for album track "This is the Only Solution" is now playing at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-KaDJ4Fvh4&feature=youtu.be

Pre-orders for the CD, bundles and limited-edition colored vinyl are now being taken at the FDA Rekotz Deathstore. For details visit www.fda-rekotz.com. 

"This is face-melting, neck-breaking, frantic death metal. Nothing more, nothing less."

-DeadRhetoric.com 

 www.facebook.com/keitzer

CARNAGE: 'DARK RECOLLECTIONS' FULL DYNAMIC RANGE VINYL OUT NOW

DARK RECOLLECTIONS, the highly sought after cult underground album from Swedish death metal legends CARNAGE, is available now on limited edition Full Dynamic Range vinyl LP.

DARK RECOLLECTIONS was originally released in 1990 and remains the band's only full-length release before splitting in 1991, with members going on to feature in such iconic groups as CARCASS, ARCH ENEMY, DISMEMBER and ENTOMBED.

The long-out-of-print album has been specially remastered from the original tapes for this release in Full Dynamic Range (FDR) audio, allowing the music's nuances to shine through and giving the album a more ferocious, immersive and dynamic sound than ever before.

The limited edition DARK RECOLLECTIONS Full Dynamic Range vinyl is available now in the following quantities and colours:

100 - "Deranged from Blood" Red (SOLD OUT)
200 - "Infestation of Evil" White & Green Splatter (SOLD OUT)
300 - "Torn Apart" Red & Black (SOLD OUT)
400 - Black

View the vinyl colours at http://bit.ly/1jIsITc

Get the DARK RECOLLECTIONS Full Dynamic Range vinyl now while stocks last in Europe at http://webstore.earache.com/carnage or in North America at http://uswebstore.earache.com/carnage

The Full Dynamic Range edition of DARK RECOLLECTIONS is also available now on iTunes at http://bit.ly/1nxWVUD

Get more Earache news and info:

Official site - http://www.earache.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/earacherecords
Twitter - http://twitter.com/earacherecords
Tumblr - http://earache.tumblr.com

3 YEARS HOLLOW CONFIRMED FOR UPROAR FESTIVAL

With their latest album, ‘The Cracks,’ already making a strong impression on the charts (debuting at #23 on the Heatseekers Chart in Billboard Magazine), 3 Years Hollow will continue spreading the word this summer, as it has been confirmed that the band will be a part of this year’s Uproar Festival from August 15-26 – for a total of nine shows (six announced, three forthcoming). “Being a part of the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival is a dream come true for us,” says 3YH singer Jose Urquiza. “We’re thankful for the opportunity to take our show on the road to big crowds that LOVE rock music. We owe this to our fans most of all and I know many of them are just as excited as we are for this. We’re ready and we hope you are too!” And it turns out the band – which also includes Tony Reeves (guitar), Neil Kuhlman (guitar), Dex Digga (bass), and Chris Cushman (drums) – is no stranger to the Uproar Festival, as they won a 2012 competition that resulted in 3YH playing on the tour’s Chicago date that year. In addition to supporting ‘The Cracks’ with this string of summer shows, the quintet will be promoting their newest single, “For Life,” Merging intensity with melody, 3 Years Hollow continue to gain momentum, thanks to such tracks as “Remember” (which hit #1 on Sirius XM’s Octane) and “Chemical Ride” (whose video has attracted nearly 450,000 YouTube views). And soon, the band will be a part of one of the summer’s top rock concert attractions. Confirmed Uproar Festival Dates With 3 Years Hollow [more to be announced]: Friday 8/15                Clarkston, MI               DTE Energy Music Theatre Saturday 8/16              Peru, IL                     Illinois Valley Regional Airport Sunday 8/17                Cincinnati, OH                PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Friday 8/22                Syracuse, NY                New York State Fairgrounds Sunday 8/24                Noblesville, IN              Klipsch Music Center Tuesday 8/26              Camden, NJ                    Susquehanna Bank Center FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: www.3yearshollow.com www.facebook.com/3yearshollow www.twitter.com/3yearshollow www.youtube.com/3yearshollow

Review - Varga "Return of The Metal" (Vargantuan)

Back in 2013 Varga put out their first new release since 1995's Oxygen. It was clear listening to that release and talking with drummer Dan Fila that "Enter The Metal" represented a bunch of friends coming back together and jam. The results of those jams was pretty damn impressive. In fact I still have that release on my desk, that sucker has never been put away.

Here we are a year later and here come's the aptly titled "Return Of The Metal". Here's the short version of my review…"Hole-E-Fuck!!".

If that doesn't fill the need I'll expand on that. Once again Varga has produced six monolithic tracks of metal. Six? Yeah six, but we are talking the shortest track is 5:37 most run 6 to 8 minutes. Also once again Varga proudly displays their influences in the tracks and on the liner notes. This was very apparent right from track one "Three Section Staff" where Joe Varga goes from his regular register into soaring King Diamond punctuations. Aaaahh it's good to be a metalhead.

So let's break it down. Track one the aforementioned  "Three Section Staff" is almost nine minutes of twists and turns set to lyrics about martial arts. There's some great guitar work in here as well as some type of instrumentation I can't figure out (and it's pissing me off). Hopefully I'll be talking to one of the guys soon so I can find out how they did what they did.

Next up is "After Life Comes" a song which questions about what happens when ya take the dirt nap. Are we worm food or what? This has all the thrash elements that we love. It kicks off with a bass riff that would do Ellefson proud. Many parts and tempo changes and it's just plain HEAVY.

"Disfigured Gargoyles" reminds me (and I don't know why) of Zetro era (the first time) Exodus or even some Hatriot. So many it's the vocals. This ones a bit more uptempo and once again killer guitar work come solo time. Perhaps the fact that for most of the tune the guitar is restrained to chord stabs makes the solo that much more intense.

"Evil Drifters" will be the track of the week of Focus on Metal 191. This is one of those horror tunes you expect from Varga. On the last release I think "Shark Attack" was the one that sent you mind to horrorville. On this one it's "Evil Drifters" Kudos for the dizzying circus like intro part.

Last time around the social commentary song was "No More Clean Air" this time it's track five "Money Talks". Don't confuse it with the tune of the same name by the brothers Young. That was a fun time tune this one ain't. The best way to describe Varga's take is, think of Mustaine talking about the evil that money can bring. In fact the song reminds me quite a bit of Peace era Megadeth. Some of the best guitar work on the album is on this one. There's a very Metallica like roller-coaster break that is total ear candy for metal fans.

Sadly our trip ends at track 6 "Far East Super Slaughter". That should have been an album title for Tokyo Blade or Loudness. It is a cool track but I'm glad it's at the end. It would have broken the groove if had been placed anywhere else. This one is one of Varga's classic narrative story songs. It's almost like hearing an entire movie in 6:29. Not my favorite track but still 100% metal.

So where does all this lead us? With "Return of The Metal" Varga is clearly back in action. These songs sound more cohesive than their 2013 effort and they have also upped the overall heaviness factor as well. If you like classic metal/thrash I think this will fit the bill nicely. I'm thinking that like the prior release this one might still be out on my desk in 12 months.

I'm giving it a solid 9.5 out of 10. Well worth your metal dollar and c'mon ya gotta support independent guys like this that actually put out great stuff.

Pick up a copy at vargahq.com or anywhere you usually get your metal. If you go to their website maybe pick up some other cool Varga merch for yourself too.

Review - Judas Priest "Redeemer Of Souls" (Epic Records)

So finally here it is. An album most fans thought would never arrive or for others it couldn't arrive quick enough after the poorly received Nostradamus. Expectations were high on this because the fans wanted a belter of an album with a back to basics approach. More six string then orchestral. So does it deliver? Well yes and no.

  The songs for the most part are fine and it is a heavy metal album with all the stereotypes. The title track chugs along and is great, opener Dragonaught will probably open the new live show and Beginning Of The End shows the softer side of the band to great effect. It suffers from too many tracks and Down In Flames is average at best. Metalizer is metal by numbers with dumb lyrics. The five bonus tracks are ok too.

   So here's my problem, the thing SOUNDS terrible. To my ears the production and mix are horrible. The whole thing sounds really dry and there's no pop to the stuff at all. I feel really sorry for Scott Travis because you have an incredible drummer who sounds like he is beating on wooden blocks and tin cans. Want proof then put on the introduction to Sword Of Damocles and then put on Painkiller and that was recorded over 20 years ago. Ian Hill's bass is in and out and Rob's vocals for the most part are in his lower register save for Halls Of Valhalla.

   To put out an album with these production values in the modern age baffles me. Say what you want about Priest's peers Maiden and Sabbath at least they had the foresight to hire the top guys Kevin Shirley and Rick Rubin respectively. I'm sure Mike Exeter is a capable studio hand and a nice guy but can you name another album he has had a hand in. Someone like Roy Z who has worked with the band in the past would have made this sound much better. I would love to hear a remixed version of this because then we would be talking. I knew Priest would have to come up with something special to top Primal Fear's Delivering The Black. They couldn't do it.

Richie.

DIAMOND PLATE ANNOUNCE SHOWS WITH MEGADETH

Chicago metal trio DIAMOND PLATE have announced two very special shows with thrash metal legends MEGADETH.

DIAMOND PLATE will be supporting MEGADETH at Artpark in Lewiston, New York on July 15th, and at the Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana on July 18th.  DIAMOND PLATE have also revealed that they are currently working on the follow-up to their 2013 album, PULSE.

DIAMOND PLATE guitarist KONRAD KUPIEC comments:

"A lot has happened in the past few weeks.  We've blown an RV transmission and had it fixed with a little help from our amazing fans.  We've dealt with a death in the family and grown together as a band.  Above all, we've started writing the new album.  Now, we're beyond excited to announce not one, but two shows with the metal titans Megadeth.  Honored, humbled, and ready to lose our minds as always!"

See DIAMOND PLATE live with MEGADETH at the following shows:

Jul. 15 - Lewiston, NY - Artpark
Jul. 18 - Hammond, IN - The Venue at Horseshoe Casino

View the flyer at http://bit.ly/1y4tBIO

Get DIAMOND PLATE's latest album, PULSE, on CD in the USA from CM Distro at http://bit.ly/176xt2F or get the album on iTunes at http://bit.ly/1dPuJ73

Watch DIAMOND PLATE's music video for the track "Dance With Reality" at http://youtu.be/awMKsnoyB_4

Get more DIAMOND PLATE news and info:

Official site - http://www.diamondplateband.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/diamondplate1
Twitter - http://twitter.com/diamondplate1

Interview with vocalist Chris Barretto from Monuments

    

   The label sent me a copy of the new Monuments album The Amanuensis out now on Century Media Records recently and I was blown away. Pounding riffs, stellar musicianship and a gem of a vocalist in the recently hired Chris Barretto. So what sort of metal are they? The band themselves don't want their music to be defined, it's either good or bad depending on who's listening. So I'm taking a leaf from their book and will only say that this is not only good but really really good.

   I jumped on the chance to interview someone from the band and Chris was back with answers lightning fast. So here we go:

1. You have a new vocalist Chris Barretto on the new release, can you tell us how you found him and was he familiar with the bands music.

CB: Hey dude! Chris here haha:) Well, we found each other quite by accident, chance, fate, whatever you'd like to call it. We've all had music profiles for a couple of years, me being with the bands I've been involved with for some time and Monuments being Monuments of course. We didn't have a dormal meeting until just last year, however. I was filling in for vocals with the band "The Haarp Machine" and Monuments was one of the bands that were a part of that tour. It's kinda funny actually. They're some of the most amazing people I've ever met, but they're fucking mental haha! And I mean that in the best way possible. I've also been a fan of the music they've produced for a while now, so I was no stranger to them. We developed a rapport on that tour that was pretty good i guess. I knew they were having troubles with their old singer and when I got home from that tour, they had fired him and were looking for a replacement. They put up that audition track (which is now "I, The Creator") and i seriously just couldn't stop listening to it. It was way too fun to get out of my head. So i hit them up and was like..."SUP! So is this a thing possibly?" They were very cool with the idea and I sent over a demo just like everyone else. I'm fortunate that they liked my interpretation just as much as we got along, cuz I ended up getting the gig and here we are!

2. Chris is an incredible singer and can easily go from a clean vocal style to an aggressive one. I'm often curious, when you have a vocalist with this range how do you decide what style to use for each song or part of the song.

CB: Why thank you! Might I say, you have impeccable taste ;) I really do appreciate the kind words though. Truth be told, the style kind of writes itself, if that makes sense. It's partially a feeling and also a little bit of the thought "what do I want to achieve here". As far as this record goes, those decisions were up to me and I feel like i made them, appropriately. To be fair, I was very conscious of wanting to do a bit more singing on this record, so that have been my only "pre-meditated" approach for this album. Otherwise, like I said before, it kind of writes itself.

3. Your first full length release Gnosis was well received. The follow up is normally more difficult. Did you feel any pressure with this one.

CB: We felt pressure but not for the reasons you'd expect. The pressure came form the need to complete this album in a very short time frame, by our standards. We have about 7 -8 months to get this record done and out to the people. That includes writing, recording, mastering, packaging. The whole nine. That was the only pressure we felt. Other than that, Gnosis wasn't even a ghost of a thought while doing this record. We just wanted to express our musical selves as honestly possible, this time around.

4. You went for a more stripped down sound for this one. Did the material lend itself to this approach or was the decision made well in advance.

CB: I wouldn't say stripped down. I would say subtle. There are some riffs on here that Browne loved to write but, sometimes, hates to play because of their technical difficulty. There are more harmonically moving passages on here than I believe were on Gnosis. On this record, we actually explored almost every key center possible. So in that one sense alone, it was way more involved than the previous record. Vocally, I honestly feel the same way. The subtlety of this album is greater and the real craftsmanship comes out in the little details that the common ear might not pick up because it's not whole-heartedly paying attention. Listen again and really pay attention. There's so much more going on than you'd initially expect.

5. Consider me a fly on the wall, take me through how a track is written from the bare bones up and is it the same with all the songs.

CB: well it would be like this, I suppose. Normally it's music first, so whether it's Browne, or Olly, or Swanny, or even Mike, there's always a tune that happens first initially. For Browne, he basically writes around the way he feels and let's his hands do the rest. We then arrange the song a whole bunch of times until we settle on a final version of sorts. then I come in and lay the vocals on top and provide some further tweak to the arrangement, should I find it necessary to suit an idea that I have. It's not always like that, we don't have a "definite" formula for writing. this just happens to be the most common approach we use.

6. We live in an age where everything has to be defined and have a place and yet in the press release for The Amanuensis you don't want the bands music to be classified. Was it one thing that made the band take such  stance.

CB: I guess we're just holding onto that piece of hope that people will truly just listen to the album and let the music speak for itself. There's all these categories and labels nowadays. To me, or to us, it's all just rock n roll or metal. Even that is too much. Just put it on and find out if you like it or not. That's all we're really asking.

7. From a musician's perspective what is your definition of success now that cd sales are not what they were.

CB: It's a multi-dimensional answer for sure. To be fair, cd sales still matter. They might not be as important in our little corner of music, but they still count. I guess it also matters how well you feel you did on the record. Did you really write something that was honest to yourself, as a musician? people also help shape the success of a record. If you write what you think is a bangin record, but no one buys it, is it really a success. Honestly, like a lot of things in life, it really comes down to that old phrase: "time will tell". But let me tell you this, if you got a #1 record in the charts and you can make a nice living off your music, there's no shame in that and you better enjoy it! it's becoming a rarer thing these days. For metal anyway.

8. You have a lot of upcoming tour dates, do you feel that this is still the best way to get the bands music heard.

CB: Nothing will ever replace the experience of live music. Connecting with people will be around long after the internet and electricity expire (hope that doesn't happen any time soon). Don't get me wrong, the internet has re-shaped the world and may provide a more immediate sense of connection with new music. But nothing will ever replace the profundity of hearing something live and having your mind blown.

9. The U.S leg of the tour features Scale The Summit and Glass Cloud, are you friends with any of those guys and/or familiar with their music.

CB: Well Josh Travis from Glass Cloud used to be in Monuments way back when so there's a little bit of history there! The rest of the guys we don't know quite as well but we look forward to the the hangs...if they can handle us ;)

So there you have it. The band are just starting a run of U.S dates and the full list of shows can be found at:

 http://www.centurymedia.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=570

or say hello on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/thisismonuments

Richie.