Worm Gear Zine Debuts New NECROCURSE Track

Extreme music journal Worm Gear Zine has posted an exclusive world premier of the song "The Devil Cobra" off  Grip of the Dead, the forthcoming debut full-length from Swedish morbid death metal rebels NECROCURSE.

The song, in all its hellish glory, has been posted at this location.

Grip Of The Dead will be out on March 11th in Europe and March 19th North America via Pulversied Records. The album contains eleven tracks of uncompromising and haunting Death Metal in the true spirit of the ancient dark Heavy Metal attitude. The vinyl version will include re-recorded version of the track "Souls Of A Thousand Funerals," from the Shape of Death MCD, as an additional bonus track. The vinyl version for Grip of the Dead will be a joint collaboration between Blood Harvest Records and To The Death Records. 

"While Necrocurse does not reinvent the wheel with Grip of the Dead, the band certainly displays their affinity with the old school on the album with each of the tracks being extremely well-executed, and is an album that would please fans of old school Swedish death." - Heavy Metal Tribune 

"Necrocurse's full-length debut Grip of the Dead is yet another entry into the cemetery sweeps, a compact, crushing revision of its more overt influences into something digestible to the nostalgia hunter who seeks a little gruesome authenticity in his death and black metal." - From the Dust Returned 

"Such a vibrant union between blunt underground intensity and a traditional metal style of melody... this album shows that the 2 styles NEED each other and empower the songwriting spark with enough fuel to grow into something memorable and worthy of a wider appreciation." - Worm Gear Zine

NECROCURSE Official Website

NECROCURSE Official Facebook 

www.pulverised.net

www.facebook.com/pulverisedrecords

WHITE WIZZARD CONFIRM WEST HOLLYWOOD SHOW WITH LIZZY BORDEN

Los Angeles heavy metallers WHITE WIZZARD have confirmed a show in West Hollywood with veterans LIZZY BORDEN.

WHITE WIZZARD - who are currently recording their new studio album, THE DEVIL'S CUT - will be supporting LIZZY BORDEN at the world famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip on April 13th.

WHITE WIZZARD bassist and main man JON LEON comments:

"We are happy to announce White Wizzard will be playing direct support to the classic and amazing band Lizzy Borden at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, April 13.  We go on at 11pm sharp.  If you are in LA make sure you buy tickets.  It's going to be an amazing show!!!"

THE DEVIL'S CUT is being recorded with producer RALPH PATLAN (MEGADETH, UFO, MICHAEL SCHENKER) at Phase Four Studios in Tempe, Arizona.  The album is the band's third full-length release, and their first to feature vocalist JOSEPH MICHAEL.  The album is due to be released later this year on Earache Records in Europe and via Century Media/Earache Records in the USA.

WHITE WIZZARD released a demo last year of one of the new tracks, called "Torpedo of Truth".  Listen to the track now at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r08i7qf56AM

WHITE WIZZARD's latest album, 2011's FLYING TIGERS, is available now on CD and coloured vinyl.  Get the album in North America at http://bit.ly/aHWjUL or in Europe at http://bit.ly/a6kLfN

FLYING TIGERS is also available on iTunes at http://bit.ly/HDKO3F

Get more WHITE WIZZARD news and info at:

Official site - http://www.whitewizzardofficial.com
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/WhiteWizzard
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/whitewizzard

Helloween- Straight Out Of Hell

   The last Helloween album I paid my hard earned cash with was Chameleon. After hearing that crap I was done with the band. Touted as the next big thing after the 2 classic Keeper releases they lost the talents of Kai Hansen and produced a couple of stinkers. They soldiered on but I wasn't listening.

   I was pleasantly surprised by their last cd 7 Sinners, I had some money on a gift voucher and said what the heck, lets see if there's life left in these guys. It wasn't fantastic but it made me want to hear the new one which I have had on heavy rotation for a couple of weeks now. My verdict? Well it's better then 7 Sinners which I found a little too dark. This one is more like the classic stuff.

   The opening track Nabataea is fantastic, soaring vocals, guitars and drums everywhere and at over 7 minutes is the longest track on the cd. Other highlights are the mid-paced Live Now!, Burning Sun and Make Fire Catch Fly.

   Not every track works though. Far From The Stars just doesn't do it for me, maybe it's one fast track too many and the song Asshole is for want of a better word shit. Hold Me In Your Arms is the one ballad and although it is well written I can see a lot of metalheads reaching for the skip button. Andi Deris is a capable singer but sounds like he strains for the high notes at times. I also would like to have heard the bass guitar more prominent in the mix.

   Overall this is a very good album, fans of the band and power metal in general will lap this stuff up. The musicianship is stellar. The drummer can cancel his gym membership after recording this, he must have legs like tree trunks.

Richie.

http://www.helloween.org/

  

Progressive Death Metallers OKULAR Release Sexforce ; Full Album Stream At AxisOfMetal.com

Norwegian progressive death metal outfit OKULAR have self-released their sophomore effort, Sexforce, today. 

The album boasts nearly a full hour of face-melting progressive death and features guest contributions from BORKNAGAR's Vinstersorg and SUSPERIA's Athera. The CD comes with a 24-page booklet, including full lyrics and one hand-drawn illustration for each song.

The band has joined forces with AxisOfMetal.com for a full album stream of Sexforce. Check it out at this location. 

Order Sexforce at okular.bandcamp.com and facebook.com/okularmetal.

The brainchild of composer/lyricist Andreas Aubert and featuring members from ASPHERIUM and ZEROZONIC, OKULAR again offers the balanced blend of technicality, melody, and brutality first heard on critically acclaimed 2011 debut Probiotic, and yet Sexforce is somehow more accessible and compositionally dynamic than its predecessor. The album's appeal is further enhanced by the appearance of SUSPERIA's Athera who performs half of the lead vocals on 7 of the 13 tracks, while BORKNAGAR's Vintersorg makes a guest appearance on "The Greatest Offender." Lyrically, OKULAR presents poetry describing aspects of the human existence, in a vital and experientially-based form, rather than as philosophical discourse. In a ringing endorsement of Aubert's creation, BORKNAGAR's Øystein G. Brun describes OKULAR as a "death metal parallel" to his own band. It doesn't get much better than that.

Recorded, mixed and co-produced by Marius Strand at Strand Studio, Norway (THE WRETCHED END feat. Samoth from EMPEROR, CHROME DIVISION feat. Shagrath from DIMMU BORGIR). Mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering - California - U.S.A (SEPULTURA, HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DAATH, ARMORED SAINT etc.).

Andreas Aubert of OKULAR recently published an article about metal music seen from a psychological and meditative perspective. Does Vader have a song with Christian lyrics? Is an equivalent to headbanging used in Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam? Are extreme metalheads afraid of feminine qualities, and therefore also afraid of metalcore? Read the article "Death Metal - Urban Tantra?" to find out, featuring Paul Masvidal and others. 

LINK TO ARTICLE. 

"For those who love interesting death metal it is an absolute recommendation... Immaculately produced, has little to no trouble nestling itself in between the biggest names of brutal death metal. Okular makes technically challenging, brutal death metal, but at the same time they somehow managed to become more accessible." [83/100]- Lords of Metal

"Another impressing effort from one of the most exciting bands Norway has to offer... Sounds refreshingly different to more or less anything out there but at the same time the material is sufficient accessible to appeal to most fans of technical extreme metal." [9/10]- Arctic Metal

  

"A mightily impressive effort from Okular. Fans of acts like Obscura, Opeth, and Meshuggah can't go wrong here. An extremely powerful production and technically outstanding musicianship to top it all off."- Sea of Tranquility

"Okular are required listening for those who enjoy progressive death with dynamic songwriting ethics at hand." "Accessible in certain songs and then very complex in others, but therein lies the appeal to Okular." [8.5/10] - The Metal Pit   

For band bio and info visit www.okularmetal.com and  www.facebook.com/okularmetal/info. 

Eugenic Death Guitarist Jonathan McCanless Joins Steel Aggressor

Guitarist and main songwriter Jonathan McCanless of the North Carolina thrash outfit Eugenic Death has recently joined the ranks of Indiana power thrashers Steel Aggressor. However, the guitarist will be stepping in as the band's new drummer, replacing the departed Andrew Moore.

Since the release of Eugenic Death's Crimes Against Humanity on Heaven and Hell Records the guitarist has been highly praised by critics worldwide for his seemingly effortless technical playing and well crafted songs. McCanless now reveals to the metal world that not only is he is an efficient guitarist but also can hold the beat and not lose the rhythm.  Time will tell what other secrets this young virtuoso to reveal.

McCanless is also currently working on the next Eugenic Death album titled Under the Knife, due for release sometime in 2013.

Crimes Against Humanity was released last fall through Heaven and Hell Records. The album is available for purchase at www.heavenandhellrecords.com.

www.facebook.com/pages/Eugenic-Death/114414165293876

www.reverbnation.com/eugenicdeath

www.heavenandhellrecords.com

www.facebook.com/heavenandhellrecords

BOLT THROWER: 'REALM OF CHAOS' FULL DYNAMIC RANGE EDITION OUT NOW

REALM OF CHAOS, the classic 1989 album from British death metal legends BOLT THROWER, has been remastered with Full Dynamic Range audio and is available now on CD/DVD and limited edition vinyl LP.

REALM OF CHAOS is the band's second full-length album and their Earache Records debut, which cemented the band's position in 1989 among the heaviest of the underground scene.  The album features new artwork from the original artist, JOHN SIBBICK.

The album has been specially remastered from the original tapes using Full Dynamic Range (FDR) mastering, allowing the music's nuances to shine through, giving the whole album a more ferocious and dynamic sound and enabling the listener to immerse themselves in the full audio heaviness like never before.

For more information about Full Dynamic Range audio, go to http://www.fdrhd.com

The REALM OF CHAOS Full Dynamic Range CD includes a bonus DVD featuring a full, previously-unreleased live performance from the legendary 1989 "Grindcrusher" tour.  The album is also available on limited edition vinyl.

Get the REALM OF CHAOS Full Dynamic Range edition now in Europe at http://bit.ly/Tm0wSb or get the European import in North America at http://bit.ly/SX1g5S

The REALM OF CHAOS Full Dynamic Range edition is also available now on iTunes at http://bit.ly/WRP1IL

Get more BOLT THROWER news and info at http://www.boltthrower.com

HALLOWEEN "NO ONE GETS OUT“ – OFFICIAL RERELEASE ON CD/LP AND AS DIGITAL DOWNLOAD

The second album of HALLOWEEN "No One Gets Out!“ (officially released in 1991) will be rereleased on March 29, 2013 as CD, vinyl and digital download. The album was completely remastered by Rocco Stellmacher (ex-Merlin, ex-MIND ODYSSEY, ex-GORGONS EYES). The limited vinyl edition contains 500 pieces (100 green, 400 black), gatefold, OBI strip. The preorder phase will start on March 08, 2013 in the Pure Steel Webshop.

Tracklist LP:

Side A

1. No One Gets Out

2. If I Die You Die

3. Crawl to the Altar

4. 7 Years

5. The Death of Love

6. Kings

Side B

7. Sanity in Danger

8. Miss Eerie’s Child

9. The Thing That Creeps

10. Halloween

11. Detroit Rock City

12. A.B.F.$.

Tracklist CD:

1. No One Gets Out

2. If I Die You Die

3. Crawl to the Altar

4. 7 Years

5. The Death of Love

6. Kings

7. Sanity in Danger

8. Miss Eerie’s Child

9. The Thing That Creeps

10. Halloween

11. Detroit Rock City

12. A.B.F.$.

Oh dear......

   So Queensryche are announcing shows here there and everywhere. That's great I hear you say, well I get an e-mail that Queensryche are playing right here in Boston on their (and I use that word loosely) 25th anniversary Operation:Mindcrime tour. So the Geoff Tate version it is then. I look on the Ticketmaster website and lo and behold what do I see only this:



   So it's the Todd La Torre version then. Maybe they are doing Operation:Mindcrime in its entirety too just for the heck of it. Not so fast my friends as another e-mail swiftly arrives announcing that it's the Geoff Tate and multiple friends version playing. If Ticketmaster don't know which version of the band they are selling tickets for then we might as well all give up.

Richie.

http://www.queensryche.com/

http://www.queensrycheofficial.com/home.cfm

SAVAGE MESSIAH CONFIRM SHOW WITH QUEENSRYCHE IN THE NETHERLANDS

British shred-heavy melodic metallers SAVAGE MESSIAH have confirmed a show with American progressive heavy metal legends QUEENSRYCHE in the Netherlands.

SAVAGE MESSIAH will be supporting the TODD LA TORRE-fronted QUEENSRYCHE at De Effenaar in Eindhoven on April 26th.  Also performing are Swedish rockers MOTHER MISERY.

SAVAGE MESSIAH lead guitarist JOFF BAILEY comments:

"We're thrilled to announce that we will be opening for Queensrÿche on April 26th in Eindhoven!  Queensrÿche have been a big influence on us and it's awesome to be chosen to go and play a show with them!  We had some killer shows in Holland last year and are really looking forward to going back and thrashing out with all the Savages we met over there!"

Tickets for the show are available now at http://www.effenaar.nl/agenda/7466

SAVAGE MESSIAH have also been confirmed as headliners for the Metal Gods festival at the Intake Club in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire on May 26th.

Keep your eyes peeled for more up-to-date news and announcements at http://www.facebook.com/SavageMessiahMetal

SAVAGE MESSIAH's latest album, PLAGUE OF CONSCIENCE is available now on CD and limited edition coloured vinyl LP.  Get the album in Europe at http://bit.ly/A9ClhQ

PLAGUE OF CONSCIENCE is also available on iTunes, with an exclusive bonus track, at http://bit.ly/zqbuz3

Watch SAVAGE MESSIAH's music video for the track, "All Seeing I", at http://youtu.be/H65BFopVO_0

Get more SAVAGE MESSIAH news and info at:

Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/SavageMessiahMetal
MySpace - http://www.myspace.com/savagemessiahmetal
Twitter - http://twitter.com/savagemessiah

Heathen Crusade Metalfest Canceled

The Heathen Crusade Metalfest 4, which was scheduled for Saturday, March 9th at Station 4 in St. Paul, MN has been canceled.     The following statement was issued by the organizers of the fest: "Do to unforeseen issues on both sides, the Heathen Crusade Metalfest is canceled.  We are extremely sorry for any in convinces this may have caused.  For those who have purchased tickets, please email info@vitaltickets.com or log into the vitaltickets.com website and cancel your order.  We wish you all the best and all the bands that were supposed to be on the bill.  For those who already bought tickets, I will be sending out CDs that we have received from labels and bands personally.  Again if you have any questions for me personally you may email me at: contact@heathencrusadefest.com."       www.heathencrusadefest.com    www.facebook.com/heathencrusadefest