RUSH drummer Neil Peart died at the age of 67 due to cancer on January 7th. He passed away on Tuesday in Santa Monica, California, USA after having been diagnosed with brain cancer.

Street Symphonies Records and Burning Minds Music Group have signed Sweden-based band CONFESS for the release of a new studio album called Burn ‘Em All. The sleaze band’s record should be out this month.

Billy Sheehan’s TALAS has signed a deal with Metal Blade for the release of a studio album. The band has been around since the 1970s.

MY DYING BRIDE will release a new album, entitled The Ghost Of Orion, through Nuclear Blast in March.

USA-based TANAGRA has had a predatory Switzerland speaker company filling a trademark dispute against it forcing the band to liquidate its merchandise. This band had issued Meridiem in 2019.

GOTTHARD will release its thirteenth studio album, entitled #13, through Nuclear Blast Records on 13.03.2020.

CREMATORY has released a single, called The Downfall, which is taken from the band’s Unbroken album which is out through Napalm Records in March.

URIAH HEEP keyboardist Phil Lanzon lost his oldest son Matthew to cancer in December. He will miss two German shows in Würzburg and Frankfurt. DEEP PURPLE's Don Airey will play instead.

STEVE DI GIORGIO has joined the VIVALDI METAL PROJECT again. The Project is working on a new album.

Explorer1 Music Group (E1) has signed former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing. Andy Gould will be the manager for Downing.

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Agents Of Fortune album , BLUE ÖYSTER CULT performed the album in its entirety for the Audience Music Network in 2016. The CD and DVD is being released as 40th Anniversary - Agents Of Fortune - Live 2016 by Frontiers. The band will play at Psycho Las Vegas in August.

Italy-based IRONWILL has released the second video, in form of a comic book for Jonathan's Journey - Metal Against Bullying as a follow-up to the 2019 campaign to fight against childhood bullying.

Another project: Former MEGADETH bassist James LoMenzo and LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler have a new project and are writing music.

Singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (OVERKILL), VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel, bassist Mark Menghi (METAL ALLEGIANCE) and former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy have a project called BPMD, and have recorded a ‘70s’ cover album called American Made.

CANDLEMASS will release an EP, called The Pendulum, through Napalm Records in March.

KATATONIA will release a new album called City Burials through Peaceville Records in April.

FATAL OPERA, featuring former MEGADETH drummer Gar Samuelson, will release its last record Fatal Opera III through Combat Records this summer. The album features a guest appearance from ex-MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland and MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

Former CHILDREN OF BODOM bassist Henri Seppälä has joined a Finland-based rock band called MOON SHOT.

Fighter Records will issue the unreleased sophomore album by Spain-based hard rock act EXCALIBUR. Entitled Cero and stemming from 1996, the album will be released on CD as well as a limited print run of 250 copies on 12"LP vinyl through Fighter Records on the 24th of March.

Spain-based heavy metal band SLOWBURN has signed a contract with Fighter Records for the release of its first album Rock'n'Roll Rats, which will be released on February 5th.

FnA Records is releasing an album by WILDSIDE, the band formerly known as YOUNG GUNNS. The album, called Formerly Known As Young Gunns, is a compilation of demo tracks from before the act was signed by Capitol records in late 1980s. The album is silver-pressed and consists of fifteen tracks all written before the Under The Influence album.

Guitar virtuoso SCOTT ALLEN PROJECT has a demo called Escape Velocity.

It is re-release time boys and girls. DON DOKKEN's Solitary solo album was reissued through Deadline Music on 31.01.2020. This version features three bonus tracks.

LYNCH MOB, comprised of George Lynch, singer Oni Logan, bassist Tony Franklin and drummer Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, THE DEAD DAISIES, etc., will commemorate the band's debut album Wicked Sensation’s thirtieth anniversary by conducting a 2020 world tour.

Former DESTILLERY singer Florian Reimann, guitarists Sasch Machyne (SAINTSBLEED, ex-STEELSHOCK and HIGHWAY KILLER) and Reaper Ulrich (HIGHWAY KILLER), bassist Vince Icopro have a new project called COMMAND THE MACHYNE.

Italy-based power metal band REVOLTONS has a demo called Underwater Bells Pt. 2: October 9th 1963 Act 1. The title is based on a catastrophic bursting of a dam.

Former HALLOWS EVE man TOMMY STEWART'S DYERWULF‘s Sordid Songs For A Cold Grey Sun was issued through Black Doomba Records on 06.12.2019. Another record is in production and scheduled to be released in 2020. TOMMY STEWART’S DYERWULF live often features doom interpretations of HALLOWS EVE songs.

Yeah sure we believe you. In what is billed as Paul Di Anno’s final live show ever the man has put together a nostalgia act called IDES OF MARCH. Fronted by Paul Di'Anno and featuring former IRON MAIDEN members guitarists Terry Wapram and Terry Rance as well as drummer Doug Sampson, the band will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the release of IRON MAIDEN's debut self-titled album with a performance at the Beermageddon festival performance in Bromsgrove, England on August 30th.

OZZY OSBOURNE has Parkinson’s. He has received the diagnosis in early 2019. Yet, the next one may still not be the final tour. The singer’s new album Ordinary Man was co-written by GUNS N’ ROSES bassist Duff McKagan who also played on the album.

Robin McAuley will miss MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST’s 70000 Tons Of Metal show since he is diagnosed with sepsis.

BON JOVI and BRYAN ADAMS will tour the USA this spring.

AEROSMITH performed at the 2020 Grammy Awards at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, USA on January 26th. RUN DMC performed with them. The band’s drummer Joey Kramer had filed a lawsuit against the rest of the act claiming that he is not being allowed to return after sustaining a shoulder injury mid-2019. The suit failed. His roadie John Douglas has replaced him. Kramer was on stage with the band at something called MusiCares however. The band will play at Boston’s Fenway Park on Friday, September 18th to commemorate its fiftieth anniversary.

GRAND FUNK will conduct a 2020 tour dubbed Some Kind Of Wonderful Tour.

BURNING SHADOWS’ Beneath The Ruins EP was issued by Rafchild Records on 06.12.2019. The band is compared to PRIMAL FEAR.

SCOTT ALLEN PROJECT has announced the release of a new demo, called Escape Velocity, which is the follow-up to the 2015 release III.

M.I.L.F., which stands for Make It Long N' Fast, has issued an album called Rolling Thunder through Volcano Records. The hard rockers are based in Italy.

Spain-based heavy metal act WAR DOGS has issued Die By My Sword through Fighter Records.

Georgia-based heavy metal band IRIST has signed to Nuclear Blast. The band's debut full-length album, Order Of The Mind, will be released on March 27th.

IAN BLURTON FUTURE NOW’s Signals Through The Flames is out through Seeing Red Records. The band is compared to THIN LIZZY.

The existence of two LA GUNS is coming to a head with the launch of a lawsuit by singer Phil Lewis and guitarist Tracii Guns who have gone to court against former bandmates bassist Kelly Nickels and drummer Steve Riley. The complainants are also suing for unpaid payments.

Eat McDonalds. Look Like Trump!

PYRAMIDS ON MARS - EDGE OF THE BLACK
Hamilton, Canada based Kevin Estrella is the one man behind all of Pyramids On Mars. Edge Of The Black is the 10-song third release by the man who also handles bass, synthesizers, drum programming, producing, engineering and mastering. The obviously instrumental 53 minutes also includes a cover of Bach's Arioso Lullaby. Blood Moon has an Iron Maiden feel to it. The inspiration is probably not to going to be denied, though the stated influences are Joe Satriani and Rush. Satriani alongside Malmsteen and the likes are predictable names to expect but the musicianship may be difficult to recreate. Nacht Waffen starts with a louder, heavier sound but has the man moving in other realms. As an instrumental one band this is also perhaps predictable. Song Of Light doesn't differentiate itself. This can be attributed to a concept in the songs and album but absent any lyrics the listener hears the same song. Perhaps owing to its title F 22 Raptor has faster riffs and it is a guitar skills showcase. The Ambassador feels closer to 80s hard rock. Mercury Magnetar brings forth the Rush influence. Arcturian Rain does the same. Time To Believe is less convincing and moves slowly. Before Edge Of The Black with its (obvious) space themed cover ends with the mellow Whale Song the aforementioned Bach cover is presented. The original composition dictates the pace and this is not what most who have listened to classical metal covers are used to. There is no guitar shredding here. The man knows his instruments, whether this is good enough for 10 songs in this manner is somewhat questionable. Does this sound like an experimental jam to most who would listen? Echo www.pyramidsonmars.com to decide. - Anna Tergel

SLEEPWRAITH - DAY TERRORS
There is so much about this demo that is intriguing and unusual. It is just one of those releases about which one can go on and on. Firstly, the demo disc was enjoyable so this is going to be a positive review. With that said, scanning the biography one notices that the childhood friends who comprise the act were formerly in a grunge band. To make matters more curious they harbour influences from every type of 'core' one can think of. Metalcore, mathcore, deathcore, pussycore, doomcore, fuzzcore and likely a couple of more styles are name-checked by the publicist. Never mind that one of the guys is called 'Seedy' (because that is between the man named Chris and his mother), but what about the band's Edmonton, Alberta in Canada residence? For those not aware, Alberta is home to Canada's answer to the ignorant American. People in that province drive around on socialist roads, attend socialist schools and enjoy socialist healthcare and constantly whine about it as they drive their fat-ass SUVs wearing cowboy hats. Never mind the billions in oil subsidies they receive from the federal government or that instead of using the oil wealth to create jobs and diversification they pride themselves on right-wing style $45 tax cuts. All of this is worth mentioning because the band is quite good and seems to have brains and heads on their shoulders. Perhaps they are not the typical Albertans!
To get to the gist of the matter it is amazing how layered and accomplished these tracks are. Indeed, one hears the odd non-metal influence. There is some mallcore here and there is the odd dopey commercial beat, but by and large this is a heavy and speedy affair with convincing vocals that could be described as a cross between Shadows Fall and Crowbar. Except this band has many more tricks up its sleeves and throws the listener for a loop via proficient and diverse - yet never wimpy - riffs and passages. This disc has depth. In one aspect, however, they are typically Albertan. How many demos have come into Metallian Towers in the last several years with clean backing or second vocals? Add Sleepwraith to the list. For some reason, every second band from this area deploys the boy band chanting and backing vocals.
The CD package has foregone the lyrics, but seems to tell the story of a downtrodden and terrorized woman through comic book style illustrations. Sol would be my favourite track here. The riff is just so effective, but at 55 minutes' length there is a wealth of material to absorb and nearly none of it is throwaway or filler. The band does well to dispose of the Insane Clown Posse bits and become one hundred percent serious, but for now this is one deep effort. - Ali "The Metallian"