DARK DESIGN Announce September Release of Debut; 'Prey for the Future'

Prey for the Future, the debut album from Raleigh, NC technical power thrashers DARK DESIGN will be released this September through Heaven and Hell Records.

Since early 2010, DARK DESIGN, comprised of members Ray Lewis (guitar), Mike Joyner (guitar), Andrew Bertrand (vocals), and rhythm section Matt (bass) and Robbie Mercer (drums), have built a strong fan base in their local metal scene. Their technical prowess and progressive song structuring have often been compared to that of Death, Toxik, and Anacrusis. As buzz of the band began to grow they were requested to play the 2012 Warriors of Metal Festival in Ohio. Meanwhile, the band remained focused on material for their debut album. Prey for the Future was recorded earlier this year by John E Wooten (Widow U.S) and mastered by Jamie King at The Basement Studios. 

In Medias Res

Dark Design

No Death

Abiding Contempt

Welcome To You're Doom

Dragonmount

Meditations

Spice World

Dust In The Wind

www.facebook.com/darkdesignband

www.heavenandhellrecords.com

www.facebook.com/heavenandhellrecords

WHITE WIZZARD ANNOUNCE FULL EUROPEAN HEADLINING TOUR DATES

WHITE WIZZARD have confirmed dates for a full European headlining tour, which kicks off on September 27th in Brighton, England.

The band will be hitting the road in support of their new studio album, THE DEVILS CUT, starting with a string of recently-announced UK shows, followed by stops in Germany, Denmark, Italy, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

WHITE WIZZARD bassist and mainman JON LEON comments:

"We are very excited to get back over to Europe.  Giovanni and I have worked hard to get a solid line-up of guys that will actually tour and stick it out and to make White Wizzard a stable entity for the fans.  We appreciate all of our fans being so patient and supportive.  What we have now is a line-up that has been together over a year that is very dedicated and serious.  The fans will finally get to see the five guys that recorded the album and we promise we will not disappoint.

"This is only the beginning as we are already writing the next album and we are hungry to finally see the band through to its intended vision.  If you dig the album, just wait until you see this group of guys live.  We are on a mission in its first stages and we hope you come along for the ride.  It is going to be a blast!!!"

See WHITE WIZZARD on tour in Europe at the following shows:

Sep. 27 - Brighton, UK - Prince Albert
Sep. 29 - Wolverhampton, UK - Little Civic
Sep. 30 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
Oct. 01 - Edinburgh, UK - Banshee Labyrinth
Oct. 02 - Glasgow, UK - Audio
Oct. 03 - Manchester, UK - Alter Ego
Oct. 04 - Norwich, UK - Waterfront
Oct. 05 - Cardiff, UK - Bogiez
Oct. 06 - London, UK - Borderline
Oct. 08 - Cologne, Germany - Underground
Oct. 09 - Munich, Germany - Backstage Club
Oct. 10 - Berlin, Germany - Cassiopeia
Oct. 11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Stengade
Oct. 12 - Hamburg, Germany - Headcrush
Oct. 13 - Lichtenfels, Germany - Paunchy Cats
Oct. 15 - Bologna, Italy - Freakout Club
Oct. 16 - Milan, Italy - Blue Rose Saloon
Oct. 17 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Galery
Oct. 19 - Drachten, Netherlands - Iduna

THE DEVILS CUT is available now on CD and limited edition coloured vinyl LP.  The album features artwork by CAMERON DAVIS, who is known for his work as lead character designer and illustrator for the Guitar Hero video game series.

Get THE DEVILS CUT now on CD and LP from the Earache Webstore in Europe at http://bit.ly/a6kLfN or in North America at http://bit.ly/aHWjUL

THE DEVILS CUT is also available now on iTunes at http://bit.ly/1221Weq

Listen to two tracks from THE DEVILS CUT:

"Strike the Iron" - http://youtu.be/FnKnQ_EahYI
"Lightning in My Hands" - http://youtu.be/XPbPvG8mi98

Get more WHITE WIZZARD news and info at:

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

EMBLAZONED (ex-Jungle Rot/current Decrepit Birth members) sign with Deepsend Records

Wisconsin based blackened death metalers EMBLAZONED (featuring  ex-Jungle Rot, Micawber, Decrescent and current Decrepit Birth members)  have inked a deal with Deepsend Records for the September 3rd release  of the band's debut EP, entitled The Living Magisterium. The Living Magisterium was produced by Chris Wisco at Belle City  Sound in Racine, WI and the cover art was created by renowned artist  Raf the Might (Too Many Skulls).Currently the band is booking shows  around the mid-west and recently has shared the stage with Vital Remains,  Jungle Rot, and Sathanas. Album track "Bound by Eternal Penance" has been posted at this location.   Emblazoned is:  Kevin Forsythe (ex Jungle Rot) - Guitar  A.J. Lewandowski (Decrepit Birth, ex Enfold Darkness) - Bass  Jeff Plewa (ex Micawber) - Vocals  Alex "Pulverizer" Pulvermacher (ex Decrescent) - Drums www.facebook.com/emblazoned666  www.deepsend.com  http://deepsendrecords.bandcamp.com

AC Angry: Saxon tour diary & video blog from the European tour 2013 – Part 3

AC ANGRY have posted the third part of their tour diary from the Hellfest in France, the shows in Lucern and Solothurn in Switzerland as well as Aschaffenburg, Memmingen and Osnabrück in Germany on their Facebook page www.facebook.com/acangry.

Take a look at the video blog and see what AC ANGRY experienced with the Hard ‘n‘ Heavy legend Saxon on their big european tour and what kind of jokes the Saxon guys and their crew did with AC ANGRY on the last show of the common tour in Osnabrück. 

It's worth taking a look!

For the live video footage check out this link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=4H-z6lg2sTU

TO THE PAIN: Long Island Metal Outfit Releases Debut Album; Bravewords Debuts New Track

New York metallers TO THE PAIN have unleashed their self-titled, self-released debut full-length upon the world. A tribute to the days when metal was delivered via well-executed songs full of hooks and aggression, TO THE PAIN has come to re-blaze the trail cut by the genre's torchbearers of the late 80s and early 90s. Factor in a fistful of modern attitude and technical prowess and you've got one goddamned powerful, dynamic and straight-up METAL record in To The Pain.

The band has teamed up with the folks at Bravewords.com for the world premier of album track 'Silent Horror.' To listen, visit www.Bravewords.com and launch the player. 

To The Pain is available through the band or at www.cdbaby.com/cd/tothepain

For the People, Buy the People    

Silent Horror

City of Flames

The Smell of Sulfur, Rise of the Demons

Burn with Me

Fuel Injected Nightmare

A Good Revolution

                              www.facebook.com/ToThePainNY

Earthen Grave set to Storm the Stage; Headlining Metroplex HeavyFest

Ripple Music's newest band, Chicago doom-metallers EARTHEN GRAVE are set to blow away the masses in Dallas at the upcoming Metroplex Heavyfest II festival.

Held at the Boiler Room, a club owned by Drowning Pool drummer, Mike Luce, the Metroplex Heavyfest II will terrorize Dallas/Ft. Worth area with 11 bands of sheer heaviness over two nights, starting Friday, July 19, 2013.  And set to take the stage as the main headliner on Saturday, July 20th, following the "just-released"  debut album for Ripple Music, is EARTHEN GRAVE.

For details, visit: https://www.facebook.com/events/132182423631940/ 

Metroplex Heavyfest II schedule:  

Friday, July 19th: 8:00 Big Sandy Gilmer 9:15 Muthalod 10:30 Orthodox Fuzz 11:45 Wo Fat 12:00 Enormicon

Saturday, July 20th: 7:00 Luther Bleu 8:00 Cosmic Trigger 9:00 Bad Grass (NOLA) 10:00 Hellgoat 11:00 Earthen Grave (Full Band) 12:30 Las Cruces (San Antonio)

EARTHEN GRAVE's self-titled debut finds the band unleashing a terror of groove-laden, classic metal and doom. Twin guitar harmonies sear through the riff-fest of pure darkness and post-Sabbath heaviness. "death is another word...." the first single off the album,  is one of several bonus tracks exclusive to the Ripple Music re-release of the fully remastered EARTHEN GRAVE debut, appearing on both the CD and double-LP versions of the album.

Following a triumphant appearance at the Days of the Doomed III Festival, Earthen Grave and Ripple Music team up to let loose the doom/metal beast on July 9th through Nail Distribution, Code 7, Clearspot, and the Ripple Music Store.

"death is another word..." is available as a digital download at ripplemusic.bandcamp.com.

The Earthen Grave re-release is available on vinyl and CD at www.ripple-music.com.

EARTHEN GRAVE Live Dates:

July 20th @ The Boiler Room - Dallas, TX **

Heavy Fest II (Event Page)

August 10th @ Mayne Stage - Chicago, IL **

Record Release Party w/ Devil To Pay & Divinity Compromised (Event Page)

October 12th @ 3 Kings Tavern - Denver, CO 

Denver Doom Fest III (www.facebook.com/denverdoomfest3)

** - EARTHEN GRAVE featuring Rachael Barton Pine

"...they take the Black Sabbath/Pentagram/Witchfinder General formula to another level by adding in Pine's lovely violin work, which gives these crushing songs an almost Kansas-ish feel to them in spots. 4/5" - Sea of Tranquility

"...the integrity and honesty of the musical endeavour shines through, making this a thought-provoking, melancholic metal creation with some real magic..." - Zero Tolerance

"...a modern doom metal classic that will live beyond a mere best-of-the-year bestowing. 4.5/5" - Metal Underground

www.earthengrave.com

earthengrave.bandcamp.com

www.ripple-music.com

SAVAGE MESSIAH KICK OFF UK TOUR WITH WINTERSUN TONIGHT

SAVAGE MESSIAH are due to kick off a UK tour supporting Finland's WINTERSUN tonight - Tuesday, 16th July - at The Garage in London.

SAVAGE MESSIAH are taking a break from recording their as-yet untitled new album to take part in the five-date trek, which also features fellow UK metallers BLOODSHOT DAWN.  Following these dates, SAVAGE MESSIAH will return to the studio to complete work on their new album, before heading out on a mini headlining tour in October.

SAVAGE MESSIAH frontman DAVE SILVER comments:

"We'll be taking a short break from recording our new record to hit the road with Wintersun and Bloodshot Dawn for some UK shows.  Recording has been going amazingly well and we're excited to unleash this record on all you metalheads out there!  In the mean time, we're definitely going to be playing some new songs over these gigs, so make sure to get down early to smash some skulls with us!  And then afterwards, we'll see you in the bar for the customary challenge of, 'see if you can drink as much Jager as Joff without puking'... I dare anyone to try!"

See SAVAGE MESSIAH live at the following shows:

SAVAGE MESSIAH w/ WINTERSUN, BLOODSHOT DAWN
Jul. 16 - London, UK - The Garage
Jul. 17 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy
Jul. 18 - Nottingham, UK - Rescue Rooms
Jul. 19 - Newcastle, UK - O2 Academy 2
Jul. 22 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy 2

SAVAGE MESSIAH w/ RSJ
Oct. 29 - Manchester, UK - Sound Control
Oct. 30 - York, UK - Fibbers
Oct. 31 - Birmingham, UK - The Temple
Nov. 01 - London, UK - Borderline

SAVAGE MESSIAH's latest album, PLAGUE OF CONSCIENCE, is available now on CD and limited edition coloured vinyl LP.  Get the album now from the Earache Webstore in Europe at http://bit.ly/A9ClhQ or in North America at http://bit.ly/AgH8Dc

PLAGUE OF CONSCIENCE is also available on iTunes, including 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
Twitter - http://twitter.com/savagemessiah

DIAMOND PLATE REVEAL NEW ALBUM TITLE AND ARTWORK

Chicago's DIAMOND PLATE have officially revealed that their upcoming new album will be titled PULSE.

The follow-up to DIAMOND PLATE's 2011 debut album, GENERATION WHY?, was recorded with producer NEIL KERNON (JUDAS PRIEST, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD) at Studio Chicago in the band's hometown.  DIAMOND PLATE revealed the album title to fans by posting one letter each day over the last week until the title was complete.

DIAMOND PLATE comments:

"During the months of recording, the album took on a life of its own.  Our goal was to capture the energy of a live band, and working with Neil gave us the freedom to create the music we've always wanted to play.  A straightforward explanation of the title 'PULSE' is that it represents music, or life, in its purest form.  The real meaning behind the album can only be discovered by the person using his/her ears."

The artwork for PULSE was created by artist GUSTAVO SAZES (MORBID ANGEL, ARCH ENEMY, SEPULTURA).

PULSE is due to be released on August 20th in the USA via Century Media/Earache Records and on digital formats in Europe on August 19th.

Get DIAMOND PLATE's debut album, GENERATION WHY?, in North America at http://bit.ly/owOGVS or in Europe at http://bit.ly/mVHtIi

GENERATION WHY? is also available on iTunes at http://bit.ly/nRbT14

Get more DIAMOND PLATE news and info at:

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

IZEGRIM Reveal New Song and Artwork From "Congress of the Insane"

Dutch thrash/death metallers IZEGRIM have released a new song off their forthcoming Listenable Records release, Congress of the Insane. The song, entitled "Relic of the Past," is now streaming via Listenable Records' Soundcloud page at this location.   The follow up to 2011's Code of Consequences, Congress of the Insane is a concept album based on the evil in the deceiving human nature. "Nowadays everyone seems normal until you get to know them," comments bassist/vocalist Marloes. "Some Freaks are here, they're real, they are alive!"  The album features artwork by Mariano Villalba and an appearance from HOLY MOSES vocalist Sabina Classen, who lent her voice to the track "Manifest of a Megalomaniac." Congress of the Insane will be out in North America on October 22nd.   1)  Relic of the Past 2)  Decline and Fall 3)  Celebratory Gunfire 4)  Endless Strife 5)  Deterioration from Perfection 6)  Unchallenged Dominance 7)  Modern Day Freak 8)  The Legion 9)  Carousel of Death 10)  Manifest of a Megalomaniac 11)  Carnival of Deception www.izegrim.nl www.facebook.com/izegrim twitter.com/izegrimofficial    www.listenable.net  www.listenable.netshop.listenable.net www.facebook.com/listenablerecs

Review - Stryper at Hampton Beach Casino 7/12/2013

   I couldn't make Mike Tramp's acoustic set so can't comment on it. He was meeting people at the merch booth and signing stuff when I got there. The line was pretty long too so he must have gone down well. Don't judge him only on the White Lion stuff, those Freak Of Nature albums are really good.

   Stryper are a great and I mean great hard rock band. I couldn't give a shit about the lyrics as long as the tunes are there. They throw some bibles throughout the show but don't force feed the message down your throats. They also have all the original members in the band who still seem to enjoy playing with each other.

   Opening the set with To Hell With The Devil the band relied heavily on that album playing six other tracks from it in a sixteen song set. Not surprising as that's their biggest. One For All from Against The Law was a welcome addition but nothing from In God We Trust. They did play one newie from the upcoming Hell To Pay release and it's super heavy. They played three covers; Shout It Out Loud, Heaven and Hell and I'm On Fire, all great but that means leaving out some original stuff.

   Top notch musicianship, amazing vocal harmonies, great vocals from Michael Sweet and a band that still seems to have fun on stage. What's not to like about that? Praise the lord.

Richie.