AMON AMARTH: First Of Three-Part Mini Documentary Posted

As previously announced,  today AMON AMARTH  unveils the first of their  special three-part mini  documentary titled Forging  Mjölnir. Filmed and directed  by Luke Daley  (http://makezure.com), the  up-close-and-personal clip  -- which includes stunning  black and white nature  footage and Norse artwork --  celebrates the imminent  release of the band's ninth  studio offering,  Deceiver of the Gods. Watch the six-and-a-half minute segment  where vocalist Johan Hegg and bassist Ted Lundström elaborate on the  mythological themes found within their latest epic via the band's microsite  at http://deceiver.amonamarth.com. Not many bands can claim their ninth album as the most powerful,  dynamic, and plainly aggressive of their career, but then AMON AMARTH  have consistently upped their game with every successive release.  Having exploded onto the Swedish melodic death metal scene with 1998's  Once Sent from the Golden Hall, every album has arrived bursting at the  seams with power, melody and immersive storytelling centered around the  richness of Norse mythology. Deceiver of the Gods captures the quintet at  the peak of their powers. "Every time we start working on new music we  begin with the idea that we're going to write the best album ever," Hegg  states. "We knew we wanted a more aggressive, live feeling to this record  but there's no formula behind what we do. We just try to write something  that takes us a step further than the last record, and is something that will  excite us and our fans. Deceiver Of The Gods is the result." For proof, sample fourth track, "Shape Shifter" now  streaming via Stereogum HERE. Deceiver of the Gods was recorded at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire,  UK, and produced, mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap  Opeth, Megadeth, Exodus, Arch Enemy, Killswitch Engage).  The follow-up to the band's critically adored 2011 Surtur Rising  full-length offers up ten maniacally heavy battle hymns rife with the  band's absorbing harmonies and Hegg's commanding Viking roar.  Deceiver of the Gods comes adorned with another outstanding  Tom Thiel-created cover portraying a mythical battle between  the Norse Gods Loki and Thor. As an added bonus,  Messiah Marcolin (Candlemass) makes an appearance as  guest vocalist on eighth track, "Hel." For special Deceiver of the Gods preorder packages as well as  a stream of the title track,  go to this location: http://www.metalblade.com/amonamarth.  Deceiver of the Gods will be released in North America  via Metal Blade Records June 25th, in Europe  June 21st/24th and Japan on June 26th. Following a run of European festival dates next month,  AMON AMARTH will be opening the main stage of this  year's edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest  set to commence June 29 in San Bernardino. See confirmed dates below. AMON AMARTH Summer 2013 European Festival Tour: 06/01 Forta Rock Festival – Nijmegen, NL 06/06 Sweden Rock Festival – Solvesborg, SE 06/07 Rock Am Ring – Nurburgring, DE 06/08 Sonisphere – Sonisphere, FR 06/09 Rock Im Park – Nurenberg, DE 06/11 MeetFactory – Prauge, CZ 06/12 Eter Club – Wroclaw, PL 06/14 Copenhell – Copenhagen, DK 06/15 Noval Rock – Nickelsdorf, AT 06/16 Download Festival – Donington, UK 06/21 Nummirock – Nummijarvi, FI AMON AMARTH Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest 2013: 06/29 San Manuel Amphitheater – San Bernardino, CA 06/30 Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA 07/02 Idaho Center Amphitheatre – Nampa, ID 07/03 White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA 07/05 Desert Sky Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ 07/06 Isleta Amphitheatre – Albuquerque, NM 07/07 Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre – Englewood, CO 07/09 The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI       w/ Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy, Battlecross, Huntress 07/10 Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON 07/12 First Niagara Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA 07/13 Toyota Pavilion – Scranton, PA 07/14 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center – Darien Center, NY 07/16 Comcast Center – Mansfield, MA 07/17 Bangor Waterfront – Bangor, ME 07/19 Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ 07/20 Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY 07/21 The Comcast Theatre – Hartford, CT 07/23 PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ 07/24 Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA 07/26 Klipsch Music Center – Noblesville, IN 07/27 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, IL 07/28 DTE Energy Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI 07/29 Expo Five – Louisville, KY     w/ Children of Bodom, Behemoth, Emmure, Motionless In White,      Born of Osiris, Job for a Cowboy, Battlecross, Huntress 07/30 Lakewood Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA 07/31 Live Nation Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL 08/02 Austin 360 Amphitheatre – Austin, TX 08/03 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – The Woodlands, TX 08/04 Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX 08/05 Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre – Kansas City, MO  w/ Rob Zombie, Machine Head, Children Of Bodom 08/07 Pop's – Sauget, IL w/ Children of Bodom, Battlecross, Huntress 08/08 Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN  w/ Children of Bodom, Battlecross, Huntress 08/09 Peabody's – Cleveland, OH  w/ Children of Bodom, Battlecross, Huntress 08/11 Heavy MTL Festival – Montreal, QC http://www.amonamarth.com http://www.facebook.com/OfficialAmonAmarth http://twitter.com/amonamarthband http://deceiver.amonamarth.com

Pure Steel releases the new one from A2atThoT "Trust Your Ears"

The idea behind the A2aThoT project lies in one word: experimental. Starting from a very psychedelic and experimental Doom Metal, inspired by many bands of different genres (Anathema, Sunn O, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Radiohead, Jane's Addiction, SOAD, Neurosis, Isis, etc.), A2aThoT mixes all sorts of music into a weird combination of metal, psychedelic, electronic, ambient, drone sounds.

The EP is a complete mix of Doom Metal, Psychedelic Music, with a great taste for experimental things. The dark and sinister sound, which is made stronger by the deep vocals, will instantly mystify the listener. Sometimes, high melodic and melancholy parts will appear, and also higher vocals.

Basically, a creepy atmosphere with a gentle touch of sadness. Let the sound of A2aThoT take you away, in a place where you will find no happiness, but only madness and sensitivity.

http://www.a2athot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/A2aThoT

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER post "Everblack" full album preview and song descriptions on DecibelMag.com

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER has already released three songs from Everblack; each time to an overwhelmingly positive response from fans. Beginning today, fans can preview a clip from each track on the album at DecibelMagazine.com! Along with audio previews, fans can read descriptions of each song from one of metal's finest storytellers, Trevor Strnad. To listen and read Strnad's thoughts, visit DecibelMagazine.com now.

The Black Dahlia Murder's sixth full-length album, Everblack, will be released on June 11^th in North America and on June 7^th/10^th in Europe. The cover art for Everblack was painted by renowned artist Nick Keller with Weta, whose recent projects include: The Hobbit, Avatar, Chronicles of Narnia, and more. Recording was completed at Audiohammer Studios (lead guitars and vocals), Rustbelt Studios (drums), and Regal Fecal (guitar and bass). Mixing was handled by Jason Suecof and Ryan Williams, mastering was completed by Alan Douches at West Westside. Trevor Strnad's horror-inspired lyrics persist on Everblack, beginning with In Hell is Where She Waits for Me, a reference to the murder from which the band took for their moniker.

Fans can stream "Into the Everblack" now at metalblade.com/bdm. Also, there are a variety of limited edition pre-order bundles. Fans can grab Everblack on a double gatefold LP with purple/white marbled vinyl, along with "crime scene bundles." An evidence pack, which includes toe tags, deceased band member photos, spent shotgun shells, and more can be viewed now.

BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will be touring in support of Everblack all summer long as part of the Van's Warped Tour. Dates can be seen below, as well as on facebook.com/theblackdahliamurderofficial.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER

w/ Vans Warped Tour

06/15    Auburn, WA                 White River Amphitheatre

06/16    Portland, OR                 Portland Expo Center Parking Lot

06/19    Chula Vista, CA             Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre

06/20    Pomona, CA                 Pomona Fairplex

06/21    Pomona, CA                 Pomona Fairplex

06/22    Mountain View, CA       Shoreline Amphitheatre

06/23    Ventura, CA                  Ventura County Fairground At Seaside Park

06/26    Las Cruces, NM                         NMSU Practice Field

06/27    Mesa, AZ                      Quail Run Park

06/28    Las Vegas, NV               Silverton Casino Parking Lot

06/29    Salt Lake City, UT         Utah State Fairpark

06/30    Denver, CO                  Sports Authority Field at Mile High

07/03    Noblesville, IN               Klipsch Music Center

07/05    Toronto, ON                The Flats At Molson Canadian Amphitheatre

07/06    Darien Center, NY         Darien Lake Performing Arts Center

07/07    Holmdel, NJ                  PNC Bank Arts Center

07/09    Virginia Beach, VA         Farm Bureau Live At Virginia Beach

07/10    Columbia, MD               Merriweather Post Pavilion

07/11    Mansfield, MA               Comcast Center

07/12    Camden, NJ                  Susquehanna Bank Center

07/13    Uniondale, NY               Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum

07/14    Hartford, CT                 The Comcast Theatre

07/16    Scranton, PA                Toyota Pavilion

07/17    Burgettstown, PA          First Niagara Pavilion

07/18    Cuyahoga Falls, OH      Blossom Music Center

07/19    Auburn Hills, MI            The Palace of Auburn Hills

07/20    Tinley Park, IL              First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre

07/21    Shakopee, MN              Canterbury Park

07/23    Kansas City, KS                         Cricket Wireless Amphitheater

07/24    Maryland Heights, MO   Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

07/25    Atlanta, GA                   Aaron's Amphitheater at Lakewood

07/26    St. Petersburg, FL         Vinoy Park

07/27    West Palm Beach, FL     Cruzan Amphitheatre

07/28    Orlando, FL                  Central Florida Fairgrounds

07/29    Charlotte, NC                Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

07/30    Cincinnati, OH              Riverbend Music Center

07/31    Milwaukee, WI              Marcus Amphitheatre

08/02    Dallas, TX                      Gexa Energy Pavilion

08/03    San Antonio, TX           AT&T Center

08/04    Houston, TX                 Reliant Center Parking Lot

http://www.facebook.com/theblackdahliamurderofficial

http://www.youtube.com/blackdahliamurdertv

http://twitter.com/bdmmetal

Review - Gama Bomb - The Terror Tapes

Who's been hammering out the thrash for over decade now but has barely made a dent internationally in any relevant way? Ireland's own Gama Bomb. Their new release "The Terror Tapes" on AFM Records should be a giant step in remedying that situation.

This is their fourth album and bears all the hallmarks of classic Gama Bomb. This is the follow up to 2009's "Tales From The Grave in Space". They don't call these guys metal's Kings of Geek for nothing. That's not a bad thing as they eschew acoustic intros and ballads. There's no ballads in thrash!!

The new one is available as a CD and also in a limited edition vinyl pressing. Once again classic thrash mentality.

So what about the tunes? Good thrashin' question. We are talking about old school 3 to 4 minute in out and done thrash songs.

It kicks right off with "The Wrong Stuff" a great straight ahead thrasher about not being able to handle your high because you took the wrong stuff. That one followed with "The Legend of Speed" with a timeless topic in metal…speed. Of course Gama Bomb flies the geek flag by also referencing a wee bit of science in here too. The great tracks just continue on without letting up. Are you getting the idea these guys sing about that which they know (a fair bit of partying) coupled with a bit of sic fi. There's something to be said about thrash done with good intentions and no pretensions and Gama Bomb pulls it off in a spectacular way. I enjoyed pretty much everything on this disc.

Of course it ain't FoM unless we take a look at the packaging too. The cover by Graham Humphreys looks damn cool doesn't it?  I haven't seen it in full 12x12 format but it must look even better that way. There's a full booklet too. The layout is really well done and conns the "tape" theme throughout. It reminded me of some old stereo manual from the 70's. So definitely a win for the packaging too.

So what's the verdict? I'm giving this one an easy 8 out of 10. Fave track is a toss up between the 2:20 attack of "Metal Idiot" and track 3 "Backwards Bible"

Stay tuned to FoM as we intend to have these guys on sometime in the very near future.

If you want to catch these guys live in the states you are in some serious luck they just finished some dates in Europe and they will soon be on the attack here.

Here's the rundown

Gama Bomb US Tour

W 8/21 San Diego, CA Brick by Brick

Th 8/22 Los Angeles, CA The Vex

F 8/23 Modesto, CA Fat Cats Music Hall

S 8/24 Oakland, CA Oakland Metro

Su 8/25 Portland, OR Dante’s

M 8/26 Seattle, WA El Corazon

T 8/27 Vancouver, BC $800

W 8/28 Spokane, WA The Hooe

F 8/30 Denver, CO

S 8/31 Oklahoma City, OK

Su 9/1 Dallas, TX The Boiler

T 9/3 Columbus, OH Shrunken Head

W 9/4 Chicago, IL Reggies Live

Th 9/5 Lansing, MI Uli’s Haus of Rock

F 9/6 Toronto, ON The Rock Pile

S 9/7 Westland, MI Token Lounge

T 9/10 New Castle, PA Chances Nite Club

W 9/11 Buffalo, NY Forvm

Th 9/12 Brooklyn, NY Saint Vitus Bar

F 9/13 North Hampton, PA The Gin Mill Bar and Grille

S 9/14 Amityville, NY The Revolution 

Joe McGuigan - Bass/Vocals

Philly Byrne - Vocals

Domo Dixon - Lead Guitar

Paul Caffery - Drums

John Roche - Guitar

wwww.facebook.com/gamabomb

SLEEPY HOLLOW studio update and live dates

SLEEPY HOLLOW will entered the studio on Friday May 24th to begin work on the bands new album "HELLBOUND". Vocals, mixing and mastering are expexcted to be completed by the end of August. A release date will soon be determined after that. The band will soon announce a fall tour for October and November. Details will be forthcoming. SLEEPY HOLLOW Line-Up: Bob Mitchell-Vocals Steve Stegg- Guitars Greg James-Bass Guitars Tommy Akel- Drums SLEEPY HOLLOW will be play for few concerts in The Netherlands and Germany. Friday July 19th, 2013 CLUB FULLHOUSE Ter Apel, the Netherlands start: 8pm, entrance: 10 € Saturday July 20, 2013 HEADBANGER’S CAFÉ @ Club Willemeen Arnhem, The Netherlands entry: 7pm, entrance: 10 € Friday July 26th HEADBANGERS OPEN AIR Brande-Hornerkirchen, Germany

Review - Black Star Riders- All Hell Breaks Loose (Nuclear Blast)

 

You are Scott Gorham, sometimes you wish you were Jerry Cantrell. Why doesn't he get the same shit I'm getting for bringing out new music. Phil's been dead since '86, much longer then Layne and those bastards keep releasing new music and keep the same bloody band name. No one bats an eyelid, the new Alice why isn't it fantastic and can't wait for the tour mate. And me? Change the bloody name and all I'm getting is Phil this Lizzy that. Well I've had my fuckin Phil of you lot.

   You can just imagine these thoughts going through his head can't you. Gorham has kept the Lizzy flag flying more or less since '96. On his travels he's brought ex-members like John Sykes, Darren Wharton and most importantly drummer Brian Downey out with him. The shows were done tastefully and lets be honest it would be hard to perform a shit gig with that catalogue. I saw the Sykes version in Dublin, a great show for sure but more of a rawk type of show, a little too metalized if you will, Tommy Aldridge pounding seven shades of shit out of his kit.

   Recent years brought Downey and the ever reliable Marco Mendoza back along with Ricky Warwick, Vivian Campbell and now Damon Johnson. The Sykes version played Cold Sweat, Downey nixed all that stuff, too heavy mate. Gorham breathed a sigh of relief. The new version of the band were fantastic live, a fact I can attest to after seeing them open on the Priest Epitath tour. The press kept asking about new stuff, bit of a touchy subject there. The band finally said fuck it.

   So here we have it, Black Star Riders All Hell Breaks Loose. No Downey, no Wharton. If you think what they are doing is sacrilege then it's shit before you've heard it, shit as you're listening to it and shit to anyone within earshot. Couldn't be the same without Phil. They got rid of the Thin Lizzy monicker, a right move in my opinion. Does it sound like classic Lizzy? Of course it bloody well does but what's wrong with that.

   What we have here is one really solid rocking disc. Ricky Warwick does sound uncannily like Phil on certain tracks but that's to be expected as he's been singing those songs (very well) for a number of years. Great to hear twin guitar leads and harmonies. Surprisingly it's Warwick and Johnson who dominate the songwiting, both massive Lizzy fans in their youth. Fav tracks for me are Bloodshot and Valley of the Stones but there's not one duffer amongst the lot. Ably produced by Kevin (get in get out I've gotta work with Bonamassa) Shirley even the hard nosed Lizzy fan might begrudgingly give respect if you buy him a pint.

http://blackstarriders.com/

Richie.



  

The Mob bumps off another.

 

  Want to get into new bands? I don't mean ankle deep, I mean up to your neck in them. Buy the cds, go to the shows, meet the band and tell them how much you love them, get the merch and on and on. Do what we do and promote the band and before you know it ......pppuuuufffffff.......gone.

   Mike Portnoy, he of a million projects has quit Adrenaline Mob because of the unoriginal "scheduling conflicts" excuse. It was a time management issue. It wasn't so long ago that he was shouting from the rafters that this band was the best thing since sliced bread. That band is now done, to me he was the selling point. Their debut was great. Ousted by Dream Theater for wanting some time off he now has the upcoming Winery Dogs cd to promote. The single is good and I mean really good. Positive signs for the full release in July (out already in Japan if you are that way inclined).

   Reminds me of the decline of Black Country Communion, Joe just didn't want to tour. Well yes he did just not with the other guys. Portnoy will carry on forever searching for what exactly only he can tell you. Lets see how The Winery Dogs goes, I just hope they don't have a gig scheduled the day of his son's baseball game.

   Want to know what my definition of a band is now- it's a project that sells. Try a lot and see what sticks. As for the fan, dabble in the new but stick to the old. All those established bands are surely the best of buds.

   I hope Adrenaline Mob prove me wrong and continue.

http://adrenalinemob.com/

HYBRID's Angst Out Now On Deepsend Records

Angst, the second full-length from Madrid-based Experimental Extreme Metal trio HYBRID, is now available through Deepsend Records.   One of this year's most unique and intriguing displays of tech-minded death,  Angst is a conceptual behemoth of experimental extreme metal that drives the listener through progressive and intricate songwriting. Not unlike the game changer Planisphaerium by countrymen Wormed in 2003, HYBRID's Angst could very well be the country's next great output. It is a true hybrid of genres canvasing all aspects of extreme music into one cohesive, yet complex vortex of sound. The twisted extreme death metal of Wormed, the frenetic math metal of Dillinger Escape Plan combined with the jazz elements of Candiria and progressive fusion of Cynic, creates an impressive album that will appeal to fans of death metal, grindcore and progressive metal.  Angst is streaming in full and available for purchase on digital and CD formats at deepsendrecords.bandcamp.com/album/angst.  "Angst travels through aggressive, chaos fueled worlds, and even offers you  random glimmers of hope with the random Jazz passages that appear during  Death Metal and Grindcore beatdown they put you through."  [9/10] - Apoch's Metal Review "This unpredictable combination or grind, prog, tech-death, and jazz  thoroughly scrambled my head and left me disoriented but grinning.  If I've ever heard anything quite like this, I'm forgetting it at the moment.  I guess memory loss may be another side effect"  - No Clean Singing www.hybridnoise.com www.facebook.com/hybridmetal www.deepsend.com

WHITE WIZZARD: 'THE DEVILS CUT' OUT NOW IN EUROPE; FULL ALBUM STREAMING

THE DEVILS CUT, the brand new studio album from WHITE WIZZARD, is out now in Europe.

THE DEVILS CUT is the band's third full-length release, and the first to feature vocalist JOSEPH MICHAEL.  The artwork for the album was created by CAMERON DAVIS, who is known for his work as lead character designer and illustrator for the Guitar Hero video game series.

Germany's Rock Hard magazine are currently hosting a full album stream of THE DEVILS CUT.  Listen to the album now at http://bit.ly/17QY7fs

THE DEVILS CUT features the following track list:

1. Forging the Steel
2. Strike the Iron
3. Kings of the Highway
4. Lightning in My Hands
5. Steal Your Mind
6. The Devils Cut
7. Torpedo of Truth
8. Storm Chaser
9. The Sun Also Rises

THE DEVILS CUT is available now in Europe on CD, as well as limited edition coloured vinyl LP in the following quantities and colours:

100 - Stormchaser Clear
200 - Lightning White
300 - Regal Purple
400 - Black

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

THE DEVILS CUT is also available now on iTunes at http://bit.ly/15noLM9

THE DEVILS CUT is due to be released in the USA on June 25th via Century Media/Earache Records.

Listen to two tracks from THE DEVILS CUT now:

"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

Unspeakable Axe Records Announce July 9th Reissue of Besieged's Victims Beyond All Help

Unspeakable Axe Records have set July 9th as the date on which Victims Beyond All Help from Winnipeg, Manitoba thrashers BESIEGED will be reissued worldwide. BESIEGED have been terrorizing music listeners in their hometown of Winnipeg for some time, putting out a demo (Visions of Pain) in 2004 and then releasing their debut in 2010. Their sound is lightning-fast death-tinged thrash metal, indebted to the old gods of the scene while also bringing in new influences and ideas. No jokey lyrics, no phony retro affectations, just pure bludgeoning for fans of SEPULTURA's Beneath the Remains, SLAYER's Reign in Blood, DARK ANGEL's Darkness Descends, and other uncompromising, furious albums that pushed the genre to its limits. Victims Beyond All Help was self-released by the band in 2010 and limited to just 300 copies on pro CD-R; now it will be officially reissued with an upgraded layout. This reissue will use the same completely old school artwork painted by the legendary Ed Repka. This will be the second release by Unspeakable Axe, the new sub-label of Dark Descent Records.

Album cuts "Trapped Inside" and "Internal Suffering" are currently streaming at the following locations:

"Trapped Inside" - streaming link

"Internal Suffering" - streaming link

1. Internal Suffering

2. Death

3. Buried Alive

4. The End

5. Victims Beyond All Help

6. Trapped Inside

7. Black

www.facebook.com/Besiegedthrash

www.facebook.com/UnspeakableAxeRecords

www.darkdescentrecords.com