Archive for August 22, 2025

Witches Brew Unleashes a Barrage of Metal With Four New Releases on August 22nd

Posted in Heavy Metal, Metal, metal albums, metal bands, metal music, Music, music news, news with tags , , , , , , , on August 22, 2025 by Metal Odyssey

New York, NY — Witches Brew, the premier underground metal label founded by Cheryl Schindler, is proud to announce an explosive onslaught of new music, with four highly-anticipated releases hitting the streets on Friday, August 22nd, 2025.

This coordinated strike showcases the label’s commitment to unearthing raw, authentic talent from across the globe, with new albums from FLESH STORM, IN YOUR BLOOD, MEGAHERA, and MENTAL DEVASTATION.

MENTAL DEVASTATION – The Delusional Mystery of the Self, Part II

Chile’s MENTAL DEVASTATION returns with the follow-up to their acclaimed work, The Delusional Mystery Of The Self Part II. This third album showcases the band’s mastery of technical and progressive thrash, blending violent precision with complex, philosophical themes. For fans of intricate, intelligent thrash in the vein of Coroner and Sadus, this album is a mind-bending journey that defies easy categorization.

LISTEN NOW: https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/the-delusional-mystery-of-the-self-part-ii

MEGAHERA – Back To The 80s

Turning back the clock to a more anthemic era, MEGAHERA from Sardinia, Italy, proudly presents Back To The ‘80s. This album is a full-throated tribute to the golden age of heavy metal, with lyrical themes of rebellion, unity, and a defiant stand against authority. Back To The ‘80s is a nostalgic trip with a fresh perspective, a rallying cry for all true metal disciples.

LISTEN NOW: https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/back-to-the-80s

IN YOUR BLOOD – In Your Blood

From Toronto, Canada, newcomers IN YOUR BLOOD make their mark with their savage self-titled debut. A masterclass in modern thrash and crossover, In Your Blood is packed with aggressive, neck-snapping riffs that prove the genre is alive and well. For those who live and breathe thrash, this album is a mandatory addition to your collection.

LISTEN NOW: https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/in-your-blood

FLESH STORM – The Path of the War

The Costa Rican thrashers FLESH STORM deliver a relentless, fast-paced assault that has already been hailed as a complete energy bomb. This is raw, uncompromising thrash metal meant to ignite the mosh pit and leave listeners battered and bruised.

LISTEN HERE: https://witchesbrewthrashes.bandcamp.com/album/the-path-of-the-war

All four albums will be available worldwide today, August 22nd, via Witches Brew. Physical copies are available now at the Witches Brew web store..

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SERJ TANKIAN Announces New Album Covers, Collaborations & Collages On Serjical Strike Records/Create Music Group

Posted in alternative rock, Hard Rock, Music, music news, news with tags , , , , , on August 22, 2025 by Metal Odyssey

Photo credit: Travis Shinn

FIRST SONG “ELECTRIC DREAMS” OUT TODAY LISTEN HERE

FULL COMPILATON LP RELEASES OCTOBER 24

Aug. 22, 2025, LOS ANGELES — Visionary musician, poet, and activist Serj Tankian returns with a stunning new project, Covers, Collaborations & Collages; a genre-spanning collection that celebrates artistic unity, reinvention, and storytelling.

The first single, “Electric Dreams,” (listen: https://createmusic.fm/electricdreams) is available today, via Serjical Strike Records/Create Music Group, launching a ten-week release schedule where a new track will drop each week, culminating in the full compilation album, releasing on Oct. 24, 2025.

“Electric Dreams” single cover by D.S. Bradford

This deeply personal and eclectic body of work features Tankian’s powerful reinterpretations and remarkable collaborations. Among the highlights is a beautifully haunting cover of Chris de Burgh’s “I’m Counting On You,” reimagined with Tankian’s unmistakable emotional intensity.

Covers, Collaborations & Collages showcases striking creative partnerships with some of today’s most innovative artists. Tankian joins with lauded producer Deadmau5 on the hypnotic “A Seed,” New Zealand singer/songwriter Bic Runga’s ethereal voice weaves with Tankian’s in the duet “Things Unspoken,” and acclaimed composer Lucas Vidal creates a sonic canvas upon which Tankian vocally illustrates a scene of the devolution of civilization and the end times, bellowing “There are no more empires / Just burning campfires” on the powerful and cinematic “Apocalyptic Dance.”

Rounding out the collection, Tankian’s cover of Armenian songwriter Ruben Hakhverdyan’s “When Death Arrives,” is a poignant reminder of the reality of our mortality, musing through the eyes of the departed and reminding listeners of the undeniable importance love and truth hold in this world.

Adding a visual dimension to the music, each single’s artwork, and the album’s evocative main cover, has been created by artist D.S. Bradford, who also contributes lead guitar work on the soaring track “Kneeling Away From The Sun.”

With each weekly release, Tankian will share the inspirations, stories and artistic intentions behind the songs, inviting listeners into the creative process like never before.

Serj Tankian’s video intro to Covers, Collaborations & Collages: https://youtu.be/DtzC1LUITBA

“Similar to Foundations, these are pre-existing archival recordings, some of them from way back,” says Tankian. “I wanted to put out a record of collaborations I haven’t released before, along with covers, which I haven’t done. The rest, the collages, are parts that fit the puzzle in the same tone, the same vibe.”

Covers, Collaborations & Collages album cover by D.S. Bradford (original photo by Travis Shinn)

Covers, Collaborations & Collages – track list:

1.    Electric Dreams

2.    A Seed (feat. Deadmau5)

3.    I’m Counting On You

4.    I’m In Heaven

5.    Things Unspoken (feat. Bic Runga)

6.    I Found You

7.    Kneeling Away From The Sun

8.    Apocalyptical Dance (feat. Lucas Vidal)

9.    Sonic Expulsions

10. When Death Arrives

Follow Serj Tankian:

Serjtankian.com

Instagram.com/serjtankian

X.com/serjtankian

Facebook.com/serjtankian

YouTube.com/serjtankian

TikTok.com/@officialserjtankian

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PALLBEARER Announce Foundations Of Burden (2025 Redux), Out This Fall Via Profound Lore

Posted in doom metal, Metal, metal bands, metal music, Music, music news, news with tags , , , , , , on August 22, 2025 by Metal Odyssey

Foundations of Burden (Redux 2025) re-envisioned cover features a painting by Benjamin Vierling

AVAILABLE DIGITALLY ON NOVEMBER 7; PHYSICALLY ON DECEMBER 5

A FULLY RECONSTRUCTED VERSION OF THEIR 2014 LANDMARK ALBUM

Aug. 22, 2025, Little Rock, Ark. – Pallbearer release Foundations of Burden (2025 Redux) this Fall, a meticulous sonic reconstruction of their transformative 2014 album. The newly remixed and remastered version arrives digitally on Nov. 7, with physical editions (2xLP and CD) available on Dec. 5. (pre-orders: 

https://geni.us/PallbearerFOB2025Redux).

“During the writing and preparation for Foundations, everything was ephemeral and we were practically feral,” recalls bassist/vocalist Joseph D. Rowland. “We had no real practice space, we barely had a single working computer between the four of us. Our demos of the record consisted of something barely discernible from white noise. Nevertheless, we knew we were working towards building a set of songs we were deeply enthusiastic about.

Once in the thick of recording, the feeling went from dream to dreamlike very quickly, as we found ourselves in what felt like an endless churn of repetition. We slept at the studio on whatever soft surfaces we could find, waking each day to discover that some of the previous day’s work had been corrupted overnight. This resulted in some parts of the album being recorded many times over. The guitars in particular mutated into something Sisyphean.”

Rowland continues, “Since the time that we finally committed the original version of Foundations to print, we knew it would be a sonic space we would eventually revisit. Its form did not unfold according to the original version as the numerous file corruptions, delays, and exhausted studio budget compounded into a final feverish push to finish the mix. We were relieved to get those massive and difficult mixes turned into finished songs just in time, but not without a nagging thought; we had to sacrifice much of the nuance we had spent so much time crafting.”

More than a decade later, Pallbearer seized the opportunity to revisit the record from the ground up. Over the past year, the band meticulously reconstructed the album from the original sessions.

“In the time since then, we have played most of the songs from Foundations more times than we can count, and they remain some of our favorites,” Rowland continues. “The songs have grown with us. And while we hold a deep love and attachment to what we created in 2014, we also gained a fuller understanding of how we would want to re-present them if we had a chance. After years of discussion, listening and learning, we found ourselves in the position to fulfill that vision.”

Foundations of Burden (2025 Redux) features new mixes and mastering, plus new artwork featuring a painting by Benjamin Vierling. The six-song, 55-minute collection is produced by Pallbearer, mixed by Mario Quintero (Spotlights), and mastered by Adam Gonsalves.

Pre-orders (https://geni.us/PallbearerFOB2025Redux) are available now with the album available on multiple limited-edition vinyl variants: a band-exclusive metallic gold marble 2xLP (300 copies), a Profound Lore only iridescent blue marble 2xLP (500 copies), and standard black.

Pallbearer performs Foundations of Burden in full for the first time ever on Sept. 6, at Seattle’s Substation’s 10th Anniversary (tickets: https://bnds.us/z2ezd4).

Photo credit: Dan Almasy

Pallbearer is Brett Campbell (vocals/guitar), Devin Holt (guitar), Joseph D. Rowland (bass/vocals) and Mark Lierly (drums). The Little Rock, Arkansas-based band formed in 2008 and have since released four albums: Sorrow and Extinction (2012), Foundations of Burden (2014), Heartless (2017) and Forgotten Days (2020).

Pallbearer has received widespread praise with Rolling Stone dubbing their music “beautiful melancholia,” the New York Times saying, “Pallbearer takes the genre’s distorted guitars and dread and adds an ambitious element of optimism” and Decibel, who have twice afforded the band their cover slot, declaring the Pallbearer’s songs both “majestic” and “extraordinary.”

Pallbearerdoom.com

Facebook.com/pallbearerdoom

Instagram.com/pallbearerdoom

YouTube.com/pallbearer

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BRUCE DICKINSON – THE MANDRAKE PROJECT LIVE 2025 | Dates, Cities & Venues Listed

Posted in Heavy Metal, Metal, metal bands, metal music, Music, music news, news with tags , , , , , , , on August 22, 2025 by Metal Odyssey

AUGUST
Fri 22nd – House of Blues, Anaheim, CA, USA
Sat 23rd – House of Blues, Las Vegas, NV, USA
Mon 25th – Marquee Theatre, Phoenix, AZ, USA
Tue 26th – Revel, Albuquerque, NM, USA
Thu 28th – House of Blues, Houston, TX, USA
Fri 29th – House of Blues, Dallas, TX, USA
Sun 31st – Rocklahoma, Pryor, OK, USA *

SEPTEMBER
Tue 2nd – House of Blues, New Orleans, LA, USA
Thu 4th – Revolution, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA
Sun 7th – The Town, Sao Paulo, Brazil *
Wed 10th – Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY, USA
Thu 11th – House of Blues, Boston, MA, USA
Sat 13th – Stage AE, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Sun 14th – The Fillmore, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Tue 16th – HISTORY, Toronto, ON, Canada
Thu 18th – MTELUS, Montreal, QC, Canada
Sun 21st – Louder Than Life, Louisville, KY, USA *
Tue 23rd – The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Thu 25th – The Fillmore, Detroit, MI, USA
Sat 27th – Riviera Theatre, Chicago, IL, USA
Sun 28th – Uptown, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Tue 30th – Summit Music Hall, Denver, CO, USA

OCTOBER
Fri 3rd – Aftershock, Sacramento, CA, USA*
Sun 5th – The Wiltern, Los Angeles, CA, USA

*Festival

Source: https://www.themandrakeproject.com/bruce-announces-north-american-tour-dates/

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