Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to release the new album from Virginia’s blistering old school Death Metal destroyers HumanInfection. Gravesite is now up for pre-order and will be released May 3rd on CD and Digital formats along with merch.
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions welcome Human Infection to the roster with a deluxe edition of their third album Gravesight! Human Infection were formed in Roanoke, Virginia in 2009 and play classic Death Metal with a modern twist.
This revamped edition of Gravesight features a brand new remaster courtesy of guitarist Jeremiah Tuck, giving the album a fuller and more powerful sound. Human Infection also have comissioned legendary Spanish artist Juanjo Castellano (Coffins, Ribspreader, Rottrevore) for breath-taking new artwork, as well as all four tracks from the band’s 2016 promo are included as bonus material. Spread the infection!
Legendary UK metal giants Orange Goblin are back with details of their long awaited new studio album Science, Not Fiction. Set for release on July 19th, Science, Not Fiction will be the band’s first release on the iconic Peaceville label (Darkthrone, Autopsy, Candlemass).
To accompany the announcement, the band have shared their new single “(Not) Rocket Science” – a matter of fact observation on the human tendency to over-complicate life – alongside a swirling animated lyric video by Matthew Vickerstaff (https://www.instagram.com/matthew_vickerstaff)
Speaking on the track, frontman and lyricist Ben Ward says “It’s basically saying that life can be pretty simple and straightforward if you just stop wasting your time and make each day count. Be prepared to work hard, don’t expect any hand outs and basically enjoy yourself along the way.When Chris came up with the music he said it needed something that could be delivered in a Bon Scott / Lemmy style and I think it came out really well”.
Science, Not Fiction was recorded at Woodworm Studios UK in late 2023, with production and mixing duties carried out by Grammy winning producer Mike Exeter (most notable for his work with Black Sabbath, Judas Priest and Tony Iommi) and mastering conducted by the esteemed Peter Hewitt-Dutton at The Bakery in LA.
From the explosive death-boogie of opener “The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine” onwards, the band’s tenth album crackles with energy and belligerence. Following the departure of long serving bassist MartynMillard in 2020, Orange Goblin welcomed close friend Harry Armstrong (formerly Hangnail) into the fray, making Science, Not Fiction his first studio outing with the band.
With the new line-up fizzing with chemistry, the hard rocking likes of “(Not) Rocket Science”, “The Fury Of A Patient Man” and “The Justice Knife” breathe new life into some classic Orange Goblin tropes. Meanwhile, twisted prog-doom detours like “False Hope Diet” and “Cemetary Rats” take the Londoners into epic new territory, with everything from skull-shattering punk ‘n’ roll to transcendent space rock hurled into the swirling brew.
“It is a continuation of what we’ve been doing, and that’s because when we write, it’s a big mixing bowl of all of our influences and favourite artists, and we try and create the perfect band that we always wanted to hear,” Ben states. “This album, it’s just more accomplished and mature, I guess. None of us are spring chickens anymore and we’ve got ten albums under our belts now. I feel like we’re more professional in the recording studio, I feel like we’re better musicians and writers, and now with me looking after myself, I feel like my performance is better as well. It’s all moving in the right direction.”
For the last 30 years, Orange Goblin, London-based hard rock lifers, have tirelessly flown the flag for balls-out heavy metal and maximum rock ‘n’ roll. Driven by passion, persistence and heartfelt love for metal’s dark magic, Orange Goblin have always been a vital force and a risk-free bet. While some may be content to trade on past glories, Orange Goblin view heavy metal as a lifelong pursuit. In 2024, they open a new chapter in their heroic saga, marking it with the release of their tenth studio album: Science, Not Fiction.
“People have funny ideas about what heavy metal is. But to me, it’s an attitude, it’s a lifestyle, it’s not something you decide to dip into. You either are or you’re not. And it’s for life.” Ben Ward, Orange Goblin
Orange Goblin – Science, Not Fiction track-list:
The Fire At The Centre Of The Earth Is Mine
(Not) Rocket Science
Ascend The Negative
False Hope Diet
Cemetary Rats
The Fury Of A Patient Man
Gemini (Twins Of Evil)
The Justice Knife
End Of Transmission
Bonus track on CD Deluxe & LP: 10. Eye Of The Minotaur
Orange Goblin are: Ben Ward – vocals Joe Hoare – guitar Chris Turner – drums Harry Armstrong – bass
The band will be supporting the release of Science, Not Fiction with a full live campaign starting on April 6thwith a tour in April, of Japan, Australia and New Zealand, more shows and festivals are due to be announced very soon.
It’s time to set the world on fire! The new POWERWOLF album “Wake Up The Wicked” will be released on July 26, 2024! The once again mesmerizing artwork by Zsofia Dankova perfectly reflects the elemental force of the album and embodies its sheer intensity! At this point we will keep it short, because we will go into more detail over time! Available for pre-order now!
Midwest death machine CASKET ROBBERY has announced a new string of tour dates set to kick off this summer. Following the band’s two-week trek with NIGHTS OF MALICE, they will strike out in June as part of the Mechanical Necrosis Tour with GORGATRON and VORAATH.
CASKET ROBBERY will also make appearances at the Milwaukee Metal Fest, Michigan Metal Fest, Toledo Deathfest, and the SlamDakota Death Fest.
CASKET ROBBERY w/ NIGHTS OF MALICE: 4/5 – Lakewood, OH @ The Foundry 4/6 – Tonawanda, NY @ Stamps 4/7 – Manchester, NH @ Jewel Music Venue 4/8 – Brooklyn, NY @ The Kingsland 4/9 – Frederick, MD @ Cafe 611 4/11 – Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone Club 4/12 – Ridgeville, SC @ The Ridgeville Roadhouse 4/13 – Atlanta, GA @ Boggs Social & Supply 4/14 – Knoxville, TN @ Brickyard Bar 4/16 – Richmond, VA @ Another Round 4/17 – Mechanicsburg, PA @ Lovedrafts 4/18 – Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz 4/19 – Pittsburgh, PA @ The Smiling Moose
MECHANICAL NECROSIS Tour 2024 GORGATRON with CASKET ROBBERY and VORAATH:
6/19 Fargo, ND – The Aquarium* 6/21 Missoula, MT – The Dark Horse 6/22 Richland, WA – Rays Golden Lion 6/23 Seattle, WA – The Funhouse 6/24 Portland, OR – Twilight Cafe and Bar 6/26 San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge 6/27 Hollywood, CA – Knucklehead 6/28 San Diego, CA – Brick By Brick 6/29 San Luis Obispo, CA – Humdinger Brewing 6/30 Tempe, AZ – Metalhead’s Clubhouse 7/1 El Paso, TX – Rockhouse 7/2 Thornton, CO – Trailside Saloon 7/3 Albuquerque, NM – Rensden 7/5 Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live 7/6 Corpus Christi, TX – Boozers Rock Bar 7/7 Houston, TX – The Compound 7/8 New Orleans, LA – The Goat 7/9 Nashville, TN – The End 7/10 Springfield, MO – The Odyssey 7/11 Lincoln, NE – Cosmic Eye 7/12 Kansas City, MO – Farewell 7/13 Sioux Falls, SD – Bigs**
Bigs**
*tour kick off with Maul & Deterioration
**SlamDakota Death Fest
This year marks CASKET ROBBERY‘s second appearance at the newly resurrected Milwaukee Metal Fest.
Festival Appearances: 5/19 – Milwaukee, WI @ Milwaukee Metal Fest (milwaukeemetalfestival.com) 6/8 – Toledo OH @ Toledo Death Fest (Fest Facebook Page) 7/13 – Sioux Falls, SD @ SlamDakota Death Fest (Fest Facebook Page) 8/24 – Battle Creek, MI @ Michigan Metal Fest (michiganmetalfest.net)
CASKET ROBBERY‘s most recent album, Rituals of Deathwas released on November 11, 2022 on Blood Blast Distribution.
NECROT will return to the stage this June on a massive North American headlining tour! The Lifeless Birth Tour 2024 commences on June 5th in Berkeley, California and winds its way through nearly three dozen cities, concluding on July 13th in Portland, Oregon. Support will be provided by Street Tombs as well as BAT and Phobophilic on select dates. The trek follows the band’s recent run supporting Municipal Waste on the inaugural Brainsqueeze Tour.
Comments bassist/vocalist Luca Indrio, “You already know it. The Lifeless Birth album release tour is going to be a savagely brutal one! I’m sure our loyal fans are going to be there to rage and destroy every fucking night. These shows are going to be pure madness; you are not going to regret being there, but you might regret not showing up. If you feel like you need a night of good metal you better be there early. The support bands are insanely good. BAT has a new album out for the tour just like us, Street Tombs is representing for [drummer] Chad [Gailey]’s label, Carbonized plus Phobophilic is joining us late in the tour, all such sick bands. Epic as fuck. See you all at the shows!”
Tickets go on sale this Friday, March 29th at 12:00pm ET at necrot.com! See all confirmed dates below.
NECROT w/ BAT, Street Tombs: 6/05/2024 The Cornerstone – Berkeley, CA 6/06/2024 Constellation Room – Santa Ana, CA 6/07/2024 First St. Billiards – Los Angeles, CA 6/08/2024 Brick By Brick – San Diego, CA 6/09/2024 Nile Underground – Phoenix, AZ 6/10/2024 The Launchpad – Albuquerque, NM 6/12/2024 Parish – Austin, TX 6/13/2024 Three Links – Dallas TX 6/14/2024 Vibes Underground – San Antonio TX 6/15/2024 TBA – Houston, TX 6/16/2024 TBA – New Orleans, LA 6/18/2024 Orpheum – Tampa, FL 6/19/2024 Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL 6/20/2024 Boggs Social – Atlanta, GA 6/21/2024 New Brookland Tavern – Columbia SC 6/22/2024 Chapel Of Bones – Raleigh, NC 6/23/2024 Cattivo – Pittsburgh, PA 6/24/2024 Metro Gallery – Baltimore, MD 6/25/2024 Broken Goblet – Bensalem, PA 6/26/2024 The Meadows – Brooklyn, NY 6/27/2024 Sonia – Boston, MA w/ Phobophilic, Street Tombs: 6/28/2024 Le Source – Quebec City, QC 6/29/2024 Piranha Bar – Montreal, QC 6/30/2024 Dominion Tavern – Ottawa ON 7/01/2024 Hard Luck Bar – Toronto, ON 7/02/2024 Sanctuary – Detroit, MI 7/03/2024 Reggies – Chicago, IL 7/05/2024 The Swamp – Lincoln, NE 7/06/2024 Oriental Theatre – Denver, CO 7/07/2024 Aces High Saloon – Salt Lake City, UT 7/09/2024 The Shredder – Boise, ID 7/10/2024 Ray’s Golden Lion – Richland, WA 7/11/2024 The Cobalt – Vancouver, BC 7/12/2024 Clock Out Lounge – Seattle WA 7/13/2024 The Star Theatre – Portland, OR
NECROT will be touring in support of their Lifeless Birth full-length, set to drop on April 12th via Tankcrimes.
With Lifeless Birth, NECROT continues their ascent to the forefront of American aural extremity, pushing the boundaries of style and continuing to recast metal in their image. Founded by bassist/vocalist Luca Indrio and drummer Chad Gailey in 2011 with guitarist Sonny Reinhardt joining the following year, the Oakland, California trio offers Lifeless Birth as a culmination of their to-date efforts to encapsulate and push forward the deathly stylings of 2020’s Mortal and their 2017 debut, Blood Offerings.
Lifeless Birth, which features cover art again by Marald Van Haasteren, will be released on CD, cassette, and digital formats as well as an LP in several different and exciting vinyl variants all housed in a golden foil stamped gatefold jacket. Recorded with Grammy-winning producer Greg Wilkinson who has helmed all three NECROT albums and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.
In honor of Lifeless Birth, NECROT will appear on the May 2024 cover of Decibel Magazine, marking their second appearance on the cover of the esteemed publication.
Don’t miss it! Order your copy today at THIS LOCATION.
Find LP preorders HERE, CD preorders HERE, cassette preorders HERE, and digital preorders HERE where the band’s previously released singles, “Cut The Cord,” and “Drill The Skull” can be streamed.
After having their Mortal tour plans scuttled owing to the COVID pandemic, family health issues that led Indrio, who became a US citizen in 2016 and currently lives in Mexico, to return to Italy for a time canceled what would have been their first tour post-plague. Still, despite this and Gailey suffering a broken back, requiring multiple surgeries and intense physical therapy to be able to drum again, period, Indrio being struck with Bell’s Palsy the night before he was originally due to fly to the studio to record, and Reinhardt requiring multiple surgeries on his hands in the months since they finished, NECROT charges forward with material distinguished in its real-world point of view and willingness to look beyond extreme metal tropes in lyrics, the melodies of its guitar solos, and unbridled audience engagement.
HOLY MOTHER presents the follow-up to Face ThisBurn and their overall seventh studio album: Rise. Slated for a release on June 7, 2024 via Massacre Records, the album pre-sale for HOLY MOTHER‘s “Rise” – releasing as a CD Digipak, Ltd. Vinyl LP and Digital formats has just started at https://lnk.to/holymotherrise. A video clip for the band’s first single, the furious album opening track “Fire” is now premiering below!
“This song is about a toxic love addiction that’s never ending and keeps haunting you forever. What inspired me to write this song was knowing people who just can’t get out of their relationship, and finally put an end to their misery.” HOLY MOTHER singer Mike Tirelli comments.
“Also, at the very start of this song is the eeriness of my daughter Violet’s voice, who was only 14 years old at the time. Her voice really set the musical tone, and mood that inspired me to write that specific vocal melody; like a cry of agony and pain.”
The new HOLY MOTHER song “Fire” is now available on all digital streaming providers via https://holymother.bfan.link/fire. Watch the video clip premiering HERE.
In a career that spans from the 1990’s until the present day, HOLY MOTHER has delivered some of the most blistering American, fist-pumping music of their genre and pulls no punches with its heaviest and most powerful release to date.
New album anthems like “Rise”, “Power”, “Fire”, “Rain”, “Jeremiah”, and “Hex” will have you banging your head and stomping your feet, and the classic “Live To Die” from the critically acclaimed Toxic Rain album of HOLY MOTHER‘s past is brought to new life, channeling the spirit of the late, great HOLY MOTHER co-founder Randy Coven.
This album will melt your face, compel you to raise your fists and rebel and as HOLY MOTHER intend to lead the force of metal followers to their destiny with the driving force of the amazing Ronnie James Dio-style vocals of Mike Tirelli, the blistering shredding of the young guitar prodigy Mickey Lyxx, the pounding in-your- face drumming of powerhouse James Harris, and the blazing bass of the Brit, Wayne Banks. Don’t be left in the dust! Pick up HOLY MOTHER‘s “Rise” and join the metal community in the rise of HOLY MOTHER!
Rise – tracklist:
Fire
The Elevator
Jeremiah
Power
Rise
Down
Interventionist
Hex
Live To Die
Rain
Album Line-Up: Mike Tirelli – Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitars, Bass Guitar Mickey Lyxx – Lead / Rhythm Guitar Wayne Banks – Bass Guitar James Harris – Drums, Backing Vocals, second lead vocals on “Rise”
HOLY MOTHER Live: 23.08.2024 FR Champtoceaux – Barbeuk Metal Festival 24.08.2024 FR La Rochelle – Crossroad
Single cover artwork • “Crack Cocaine“ (Written by Billy Morrison/ Ozzy Osbourne/Steve Stevens)
“The Morrison Project”OfficialAlbumrelease: April 19, 2024
Billy Morrison, the British guitarist, singer, and songwriter primarily known as Billy Idol’s rhythm guitar player for the past 15 years alongside lead guitarist Steve Stevens, and for his previous role as bassist in The Cult, has assembled an electrifying 12 songs including guest performances by Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, DMC, Corey Taylor, Al Jourgensen, Steve Vai, Steve Stevens, Linda Perry, Tommy Clufetos, John5, and more!
I guess the way that your love makes me feel/Must mean I’m really addicted,” sings OZZY OSBOURNE on “Crack Cocaine”, the newly released track out on March 21st from BILLY MORRISON’s new solo album THE MORRISON PROJECT. This album is releasing on April 19th, via The Label Group’s partnership with TLG ZOID through Virgin Music Group.
Crack Cocaine” (04:01 min) Music video Premiere: March 21, 2024 YouTube Video by IVO RAZA
Official release on March 21, 2024 Label: TLG ZOID • Virgin Music
“Crack Cocaine” is the second single/video from THE MORRISON PROJECT and follows the single/video “Drowning”. Stream it HERE
This seismic collaboration also features STEVE STEVENS on guitar and was co-written by MORRISON, OSBOURNE, and STEVENS who all appear in the video with PARIS JACKSON playing the glamorous/romantic interest, with cameos from visual artist RISK and actor JEFF HILLIARD.
“Crack Cocaine” marks the first new song with OZZY on vocals since the 2022 release of his worldwide smash album Patient Number 9 which earned him two Grammy Awards (“Best Rock Album,” “Best Metal Performance”). “I was in the same room as Billy and Steve,” says OZZY about co-writing the song. “The lyrics just came out of the blue. It was written in about 20 minutes.”
BILLY MORRISON • 2024 📸 JaneStuartPhotos
BILLY, the British guitarist, singer and songwriter primarily known as Billy Idol’s rhythm guitar player for the past 15 years alongside lead guitarist Steve Stevens, sheds more light on the song’s origins: “The music was a direct result of sitting in a room with Steve, both with de-tuned guitars, and writing what we felt was an ultimate Ozzy riff. From there, we brought Ozzy over and we all sat around working on the lyrics, but 90% of those came from Ozzy himself. He’s the one that suddenly stood up and sang “Like Crack Cocaine”! We looked at each other and knew we had the title!”
BILLY: “The song is 100% about how certain relationships can FEEL like an addiction. It’s nothing whatsoever to do with the drug! It’s a comparison. Ozzy is talking about being in that dysfunctional situation with a partner that feels so wrong, but you keep going back again and again. ‘Loving you is driving me insane. I put you down and pick you up again’ – it’s exactly like a drug addiction.”
Importantly, reveals STEVE, “First and foremost, Billy and I discussed what an Ozzy fan would really love to hear. We really zeroed in on the ‘90s-era Ozzy, the truly heavy stuff. We cast aside any rules both musically and lyrically. It was really a great team and Billy is just such a great motivator. Obviously as a guitarist, to contribute to an Ozzy song is like a kid in a candy store. He’s played with such an amazing array of guitarists that I tried my best to honor that tradition.”
Adds STEVE: “I think the fact that Billy and I have spent the better part of 16 years working together in Billy Idol means we are almost telepathic in how we arrange guitars, etc. Billy and Ozzy have such an amazing friendship that it was easy to feel inspired and want to help them achieve any idea I could assist with. As we worked in my home studio, I tried to make the actual recording process almost invisible. Forget any technical aspects and really have some fun. To Ozzy’s credit, he was totally focused; and man the first time I heard him sing in what was essentially my living room, fucking chills ran down my spine.”
Line-Up: Ozzy Osbourne • Vocals Billy Morrison • Rhythm guitar Steve Stevens • Lead guitar Tommy Clufetos • Drums
“Crack Cocaine” is the second single/video from THE MORRISON PROJECT and follows the single/video “Drowning”. Stream it HERE
💿 DISCOGRAPHY: 2008 • Stimulator • Full-length 2015 • The God Shaped Hole • Full-length 2024 • The Morrison Project • Full-length
Cerebral Rot is dead. From its maggot-infested corpse an entity even more repulsively loathsome has emerged, CORPUS OFFAL. Cerebral Rot’s lead guitarist/vocalist Ian Schwab and guitarist Clyle Lindstrom have reconstituted in this ghastly operating theater, now with the new rhythm section (de)composed of Jesse Shreibman (Bell Witch, Autophagy) on drums and Jason Sachs (ex-Demoncy) on bass.
With the Cerebral Rot songwriting core intact, CORPUS OFFAL reeks of similarly foul decrepitude and bludgeoning subterranean weight. Additionally, a sickly goregrind presence hovers over the murk like a horrid miasma, engulfing the tunes with a cadaverous redolence.
The two demo tracks here, “Ripened Psychosis” and “Gorging Gastric Decedent,” will both appear on the band’s eventual debut LP (in re-recorded form) to be recorded by Billy Anderson straight to tape later this year and released in 2025. For now, inhale the first rotted whiff of CORPUS OFFAL in demo form to sate your lust for excretion.
The tracks on Demo 2024 were mixed by Michael Foster and the band members, mastered by Dan Lowndes at Resonance Sound (Krieg, Drawn & Quartered, Witch Vomit), with art by Ian Schwab and layout by Dan Fried. If the works of Fetid, Cenotaph, Goatlord, Undergang, Cianide, and of course Cerebral Rot frequent your gravedigging playlist, CORPUS OFFAL should be on your list.
CORPUS OFFAL’s Demo 2024 is out today on cassette and digital via 20 Buck Spin; Find it at the label webshop HEREand stream it at YouTube HERE, and Bandcamp HERE.
Demo 2024 Track Listing:
Ripened Psychosis
Gorging Gastric Decedent
CORPUS OFFAL: Ian Schwab – guitar/vocals Clyle Lindstrom – guitar Jason Sachs – bass Jesse Shreibman – drums
Philadelphia’s MALPHAS return with the second single/video off their sophomore full-length. Listen to “Leviathan’s Moonlit Sanctum” at all streaming/download platforms now. In addition, the band has also premiered a new music video HERE .
“Leviathan’ marks the point in the story where Malphas returns to the real world. He and his demons murder the power elite figures on the island, but then travel to a nearby village and subjugate the people there,” explains singer/guitarist Paul DeSanctis. “The main character has a vision where he sees a demonic totalitarian government on the other side of the portal; he realizes he’s left the door wide open for them to take over.”
Both songs continue the tale and concept revolving around the demon Malphas and his encounters with people in life and death that the melodic death/black metal band began telling on their debut ‘The 39th Spirit’ released on Poland’s Via Nocturna in 2018.
’Portal’ takes place chronologically two hundred years prior to the events of ‘The 39th Spirit,’ explains Paul. “The album explores new themes like politics, economics, and historical events in fleshing out how the dystopian world in ‘The 39th Spirit’ comes to be.
‘Portal’ was recorded, mixed and mastered by Chris Kelly (Ice Nine Kills, Baby Metal, Galactic Empire). The new album, ‘Portal,’ will be released on CD and digital platforms March 29th and is available for preorder now HERE.
About MALPHAS: Founded by Paul DeSanctis and drummer Eric Dunleavy in 2012, guitarist Damian DiFrancesco and bassist Joshua DeJesus joined the lineup in 2014 and 2019 respectively. Appealing to fans of CHILDREN OF BODOM, WINTERSUN, DIMMU BORGIR, SEPTIC FLESH, and IMMORTAL, MALPHAS produce a sound comprised of symphonic melodic death and black metal.
The band debuted with their EP The ‘Conjuring’ in 2015 followed by their first full-length, ‘The 39th Spirit’ in 2018. MALPHAS have toured Europe supporting Norway’s Keep of Kalessin and Finland’s Shade Empire, with US runs opening for Tengger Cavalry, Felix Martin, and Helsott.
Upcoming Record Release shows:
3/29 – Our Wicked Lady – Brooklyn, NY
3/30 – Record Release Show – The Nail – Ardmore, PA
Iconic heavy metallers ARMORED SAINT, who’ve been hard at work demoing tracks for their upcoming new full-length, will return to the stage later this month as direct support to Queensrÿche! The trek, which commences on March 27th in Anaheim, California, includes twelve ARMORED SAINT headlining shows scattered throughout.
Comments ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera: We’re super stoked to be going back out on the road with our good friends Queensrÿche! We’ve done several tours in the past and we always have a great time being on the road with these great musicians and friends! We’re looking forward to playing some cities we’ve never played before and also, we’ll be playing some of these dates as headliners! We’ll be pulling out some deep cuts and playing an extended set so we hope to see you come out to all of these shows! We’ve been busy writing new music so keep your ears peeled in the near future for some new SAINT! Until then, we’ll see you up front!”
Tickets are on sale now with VIP upgrades available at THIS LOCATION. See all confirmed dates below.
ARMORED SAINT’s most recent studio album, Punching The Sky, was released in 2020. The critically lauded full-length hit worldwide record charts including #4 on Billboard’s Current Hard Music Albums chart, #6 on the Top New Artists chart, #16 on the Top Independent Albums chart, and #17 on the Current Rock Albums chart upon its first week of release.
May 8 Santa Cruz, CA @ Blue Lagoon May 9 Fresno, CA @ Fulton 55 May 10 Santa Ana, CA @ Constellation Room May 11 Las Vegas, NV @ Sinwave May 12 Salt Lake City, UT @ Ace’s High Saloom May 14 Cheyenne WY @ Ernie November May 15 Denver CO @ HQ May 16 Lincoln NE @ Cosmic Eye May 17 Sioux Falls SD @ Remedy May 18 Des Moines IA @ Lefty’s May 19 Milwaukee WI @ Milwaukee Metal Fest May 21 Indianapolis IN @ Black Circle May 22 Knoxville TN @ The Brickyard T May 23 Columbia SC @ New Brookland Tavern May 24 Atlanta GA @ Boggs May 25 Raleigh NC @ Kings May 26 Norfolk VA @ The Annex May 28 Brooklyn NY @ The Meadows May 29 Boston MA @ Sonia May 30 Bensalem PA @ Broken Goblet May 31 Pittsburgh PA @ Spirit Club June 1 Cincinnati OH @ Legends June 2 Cleveland OH @ No Class June 5 Little Rock, AK @ White Water Tavern June 6 Dallas TX @ Red Blood Club June 7 San Antonio TX @ The Rock Box June 8 Houston TX @ The Secret Group June 9 Austin TX @ Parish June 11 Albuquerque NM @ The Launchpad June 12 Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock Live June 13 Los Angeles CA @ The Echo June 14 Oakland CA @ Eli’s Mile High June 15 Portland OR @ Dantes June 16 Seattle WA @ Madame Lou’s
I went to see PRONG and VOIVOD back on February 28th, at the King of Clubs in Columbus, Ohio. What a night! I was (and still am) elated to have experienced PRONG on this tour! PRONG took the stage first and ripped out a scorching set of their songs, culminating with their intense and heavy hitting cover of “Working Man” by RUSH.
PRONG is continuing to tour in support of their newest and 13th studio albumfrom 2023:State Of Emergency. Tommy Victor and his band kickstarted my Metal adrenaline that lasted straight through VOIVOD and into the next day! Tommy’s vocals sounded stronger than ever; while always a master on his guitar. PRONG flat-out kicked Metal ass that night; I couldn’t have expected any less! Metal be thy name. – Stone
Tommy Victor – photo credit: Stone/Metal OdysseyTyler Bogliole – photo credit: Stone/Metal OdysseyJason Christopher – photo credit: Stone/Metal OdysseyTommy Victor – photo credit: Stone/Metal OdysseyTommy Victor – photo Credit: Stone/Metal Odysseyphoto credit: Stone/Metal Odyssey
SETLIST:
The Descent Irrelevant Thoughts Seeing Red (Killing Joke cover) For Dear Life Beg to Differ Unconditional Disbelief Cut-Rate Broken Peace Breaking Point Whose Fist Is This Anyway? Another Worldly Device Revenge…Best Served Cold Dark Signs Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck Third From the Sun (Chrome cover) Working Man (Rush cover)
Edward Escamilla, lead guitarist of Chicago based thrash metal band REIGN has joined WAR CURSE, replacing co-founder and lead guitarist Joshua Murphy. The lineup change comes on the tail of the band’s Metal Blade Records / Blacklight Media debut album, Confession, which was released October 20th, 2023.
Guitarist Justin Roth comments: “It’s on the best of terms that we thank Joshua Murphy for ten years of commitment and for his invaluable contributions to WAR CURSE. Murphy is truly like a brother to me. We’ve played in bands together for the last 20 years, spent holidays with each others’ families, and driven each other up a wall on occasion, as brothers do. I speak for all of us when I say that we’ll miss his shenanigans. But as they say, the show must go on.”
We had conversations with a few guitarists, but ultimately Ed was our first choice. We were stoked when he accepted our offer to join. The dude absolutely rips, and more importantly, we like him as a person. Talent matters, but so does liking the people you’re going to be stuck in a van with. We’re optimistic about the band’s future and embracing the change.”
Roth continued: “We’ve wasted no time getting new music ready to record. I’ve been demo recording new material nonstop since the week after Confession was handed in. I truly believe that I’m writing the best material of my career right now. We tried some new things on Confession. I really like some of it. Some of it will never be revisited. We’re constantly evolving. Some of the new stuff is heavier than hell. Heavier than I ever saw us going with WAR CURSE. It’s a lot of fun. But we’re always working. We’re a band that’s laser-focused on the future.”
Listen to WAR CURSE’s most recent album Confession on Spotify:
A SPELLBINDING CHRONICLE OF SEDUCTIVE FROZEN ATMOSPHERES AND FEARLESS INNOVATION
Pioneers of a sound that changed the world. Lifelong disciples of suspense and mystery. An enigmatic duo like no other, hell-bent on haunting souls through the eternities. There are many things Darkthrone have been called since forming in 1986 and these are but a few, having drawn from a creative well so potent and powerful it turned them into one of Norway’s biggest musical exports. Following from their debut album Soulside Journey, the next three full-lengths, often referred to as ‘the unholy three’, set the benchmark for black metal in the early 90s, though in truth they’ve never been the kind to rest on such laurels – distilling elements of vintage punk, doom, thrash and death into their own sonic fingerprint and continuing to test that equation throughout the years. It’s been quite the journey, having won cryptic pair Nocturno and Fenriz legions of loyal fans around the world. This tradition will only continue with latest masterpiece It Beckons Us All.
Set for release on Peaceville on 26th April 2024, the new music is an intense observation of the world around them – exciting and challenging the listener in equal measure, in the way only they can. Some of the riffs howl across a gallery of ice and snow while others crackle like a volcano awakening from its timeless slumber, Nocturno’s demonic barks ricocheting across the intoxicating structures almost like it’s beaming from a long-distant galaxy. As Darkthrone have shown us so many times in the past, their music is as visual as it gets – evoking tangible imagery through the medium of sound. Whether the ideas are sombre, reflective or incensed, they exist as emotional concepts you can see and feel as much as you hear.
“I am having difficulties putting into words my personal feelings around the existential title It Beckons Us All, I can only hope others out there can feel the darkness that encompasses it,” muses Fenriz.
Fenriz
Never afraid to venture beyond the confines of the extreme metal template they were paramount in creating, there are moments on It Beckons Us All that will dazzle and surprise, as well as satisfy fans of old.
Nocturno comments: “We recorded in the manner we always do, live, meaning drums and guitar, with another guitar added later. We found a new twist during this process that surely benefited this album. Fenriz did stellar clean vocals on several songs, and his way of thinking creatively made it so good. We also shared the bass work this time around. We added a lot of extra layers like solo guitars… it was just a cauldron of ideas. Instead of finding a plug-in or choir synth patch, we both recorded four vocal tracks each. Darkthrone is an ever-evolving band, as many should know by now, and this album is touching a bit into the heavy genre. I have no idea what genre we are, and have really not cared much about it, but I know for sure it’s metal.”
Nocturno Culto photo courtesy of Peer Olav Kittilsen
In that sense,It Beckons Us Allis very much demonstrative of two visionaries at their world-commanding best. They know what works but more importantly they choose to grow, throwing every ounce of their hearts and souls into evolving the jaw-dropping whirlpool of noise that could only ever have come from their collective minds. There are clean guitars, clean vocals and less typical instruments thrown into the mix, but the approach, intent and ethos at the heart of their fearless artistry remains very much the same. This is music for dreamers who find themselves paralysed by the contrasting beauty and ugliness in the world surrounding them. Never ones to appease the faint-hearted, Darkthrone are as real and human as it gets.
Limited Edition Deluxe boxed edition: includes It Beckons Us All on CD, an exclusive corona vinyl LP & cassette and art prints all housed in a heavy duty lift off lid box
Limited edition ‘Fenriz’ edition LP on blue marble coloured vinyl– exclusively available through the Peaceville stores
Limited edition ‘Nocturno Culto’ edition LP on grey marble coloured vinyl–available through the Peaceville stores
CD
LP
Digital
Plus other limited edition coloured vinyl LPs are available in stores across the world – cream white, crystal clear, petrol and .. a collectors dream .. if you can find them!
Don’t miss out on the chance to experience the electrifying energy of the apocalyptic spring tour! Get your tickets now and join us for an unforgettable night featuring performances by Pathology, NecroticGoreBeast, and Aethereus.
Pathology is set to blow your mind with tracks from their highly anticipated new album. Stay tuned for album details, coming your way very soon! Grab your tickets before they’re gone and prepare for a night of intense metal mayhem!
UK sludge trio IRON MONKEY today shares new song “Off Switch” from their forthcoming new full-length, Spleen & Goad, set for release on April 5th through Relapse Records!
On Spleen & Goad, the legendary band is as uncompromising as ever, churning out some of the grittiest sounding sludge doom in their twenty-five-plus year history. Dubbed a “doom sludge vanguard” by The Sludgelord, IRON MONKEY lives up to their legacy, absolutely pummeling through each of the nine tracks on their new album.
From the two-ton, heavier-than-anything-else riff opening “Concrete Shock,” IRONMONKEY shows no signs of easing up; fuzzed out guitars crash against pulse-pounding drums, set against vicious, misanthropic snarls and barks. Elsewhere, tracks like the aptly titled “Rat Flag” kicks the band into high gear with palpable fury and malaise.
Check out IRON MONKEY‘s “Off Switch” on YouTube HERE or listen on all streaming services HERE.
Watch IRON MONKEY’s previously released video for first single, “Misanthropizer,” HERE.
Preorder Spleen & Goad on LP, CD, and digital formats via Relapse.comHERE.
Recorded in their native Nottingham, Spleen & Goad was mastered stateside by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege.
IRON MONKEY was formed in the year 1994AD in the city of Nottingham, England. The original members were J.P. Morrow, J. Rushby, D. Dalziel, S. Watson, and J. Greaves. IRON MONKEY released six tracks of raw sludge-core via the label Union Mill that were later re-released on Earache Records. During this period S. Watson was replaced by D. Berry.
1998 saw the release of the album Our Problem, widely regarded as a masterpiece of negative rock. This was succeeded by a split EP on Man’s Ruin Records with Church Of Misery from Japan.
IRON MONKEY destroyed itself sometime in 1999. Vocalist J. Morrow died from heart failure in June 2002. Rest In Noise…
The band reformed in the winter of 2016 with original members J. Rushby and S. Watson with the addition of the then Chaos UK drummer Brigga. As of 2023, IRON MONKEY are back with a new lineup featuring founding member J. Rushby and D. Berry from the Our Problem sessions and ex-Widows drummer Z. Big.
One of the early bastions of true U.S. metal, New Jersey’s Attacker is back to celebrate their 40th anniversary on The GodParticle, a triumphant, eight song classic metal offering! The new album will be released on CD, vinyl and digital formats through Cruz Del Sur Music on April 12.
A lyric video for the first single, “The Mighty Have Fallen” is available at: youtu.be/cVpamPWzZg8.
New Jersey heavy metal legends Attacker are celebrating their 40th anniversary in 2024. A milestone marked by their influential 1985 Battle at Helm’s Deep debut and 1988 The Second Coming sophomore effort, as well as post-2001 reformation full-lengths like 2004’s Soul Taker and 2006’s The Unknown that served as reminders of Attacker’s staying power.
While it hasn’t always been easy for Attacker, founding member and drummer Mike Sabatini attributes the band’s longevity to their love of heavy metal music. That red thread and never-ending appreciation for what Attacker means to them and so many across the globe helps define the band’s newest studio foray, The God Particle.
The follow-up to 2016’s Sins of the World LP and 2018’s Armor of the Gods EP was recorded at Sabatini’s Bandmother Recording Studio in Jersey City, New Jersey, from November 2023 to January 2024. The album was mixed by Sabatini alongside C.J. Scioscia, with mastering by Joe Lambert.
The God Particle is a tried-and-true dose of pure, unbridled heavy metal with ample broadsides of aggression and melody; both permanent elements of Attacker’s sound. The band rounded out by vocalist Bobby Lucas, the guitar tandem of Mike Benetatos and Jon Hasselbrink and bassist Brian Smith, have gelled into a formidable writing unit, offering what is perhaps Attacker’s most varied batch of songs.
The album’s gestation period was longer than normal (see: Covid). The extended time writing afforded Attacker the opportunity to craft new songs that are primed and ready for European festival sing-along participation. Lucas is responsible for the album’s soaring choruses and its concept, which is based on the Large Hadron Collider Particle Accelerator in Cern, Switzerland, that is used to create energetic collisions of particles like protons, breaking them into subatomic components that are detected and studied. Adding to the intrigue: supposedly a satanic ritual was performed at the Collider site to call in evil from another dimension. Whether that actually happened or not, it serves as the perfect tie-in to Marc Sasso’s cover art (DIO, HALFORD, Marvel Comics).
Sabatini has been on record that he was reluctant to reform the band during its 1990s dormancy. Only the passing of original guitarist Jim Mooney and vocalist John Leone (who performed on The Second Coming) reignited the Attacker fire. The band now exists to honor its storied legacy and to create new, compelling music to satisfy a worldwide fanbase that remains hungry for Attacker music. Consider the job complete on The God Particle.
If you’re a band or musician and would like your music reviewed or be interviewed by Stone, please click the link under the “ALBUM REVIEWS ARCHIVES” section below!
Metal Odyssey's Rock, Hard Rock and Heavy Metal Hall of Fame! These Are The Rock And METAL Legends Wrongfully Ignored By "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame"
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