Metallian Heavy

BOLT THROWER is playing half a dozen shows in the USA in May.

Dark Essence will issue …And The Seventh His Soul Detesteth by AETERNUS this month.

MESHUGGAH singer Jens Kidman came down with the flu and missed the February 12th show at Center Stage Theater in Atlanta, Georgia. The band performed anyway.

Greece death metal band IXPAPALOTL has released a seven-track demo called Corpse Republic.

The debut album from Chicago-area death metal TERMINATE, Ascending To Red Heavens, was released in North America through Selfmadegod Records.

GORGUTS has signed a deal with Season Of Mist. A new album is due this year.

Season Of Mist has signed Canada’s NECRONOMICON. The band’s Rise Of The Elder Ones, album will be released on June 10th.

ABACINATE will play at the 2013 Philthadelphia Infest on March 16 to 17th at Gunners Run in Philadelphia.

DAMNATION PLAN will release a new album, The Wakening, on March 12th through Coroner Records. The album was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö.

AVULSED has entered the studio to record a full-length album called Ritual Zombi. The album will feature a cover version of DEATH’s Zombie Ritual.

Candlelight Records has signed PESTILENCE. The band is working on its next album, which is entitled Obsideo. The album will be produced by PESTILENCE main man Patrick Mameli.

The reunited ETERNAL OATH has picked Ghostlands as the title for its album, which is due in May. The album was recorded at Fear And Loathing studios in Stockholm with producer Jocke Skog.

DIABOLICAL’s Neogenesis album will be released on April 19th. The album was recorded at Necromorbus Studio.

Inspired by KEEL? CHAKAL has a new album called Destroy! Destroy! Destroy! ready for release this summer.

NAILS’ new record Abandon All Life is out next month through Southern Lord. The band is playing several Canadian shows in April.

Japanese band OUTRAGE is at Studio Fredman with producer Fredrik Nordström recording a new album.

AZURE EMOTE, the avant-garde death metal entity envisioned and created by Mike Hrubovcak (MONSTROSITY, VILE, DIVINE RAPTURE, ABRAXAS), will release its second full-length work, The Gravity Of Impermanence, worldwide on April 3rd through Selfmadegod Records.

MEGADETH has picked Super Collider as the title for its next album, which is out in July through MEGADETH’s Dave Mustaine’s new label, Tradecraft. After splitting from Roadrunner Mustaine set up his own imprint obtaining distribution through Universal Music.

Black metal band AOSOTH will release its new album, IV: Arrow In Heart, on April 16th through Agonia Records.

ARCKANUM’s Fenris Kindir will be issued on May 10th.

DARK TRANQUILLITY has parted ways with bassist Daniel Antonsson who will focus on his own musical project. DARK TRANQUILLITY has picked Construct as the title for its next album, which is due on May 27th through Century Media Records. The band is in Dubai this April.

Finland’s DEATHCHAIN will release a new album, Ritual Death Metal, on April 5th through Svart Records.

Comatose Music has signed MORTAL DECAY. The band will enter the studio next month to record its new album. Comatose Music will reissue MORTAL DECAY’s A Gathering Of Human Artifacts album in the spring.

Inspired by KEEL? The original line-up of U.K. thrash metal band XENTRIX has returned. Several spring UK shows are also now booked.

HATEFORM will release its next album, Sanctuary In Abyss, on March 1st through Spinefarm Records.

ANTHRAX has recruited former TESTAMENT and former and current SLAYER drummer Jon Dette for the band’s Australian tour. ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante, is “dealing with personal issues right now and can’t leave”. Dette has replaced Dave Lombardo on SLAYER’s Australian tour after the latter was refused financial terms and disclosure by the rest of SLAYER.

After 24 years of death metal VOMITORY has decided 2013 is its last year of life. The band is working on playing shows for the rest of 2013.

IMMOLATION has picked Kingdom Of Conspiracy as the title for its next full-length album. The album will be released on May 14th.

MACHINE HEAD has parted ways with bassist Adam Duce. No reason was offered.

Hells Headbangers has announced May 14th as the release date for GRAVEWÜRM‘s new album, Infernal Minions.


Metallian Hard

GAMMA RAY will release a new EP entitled Master Of Confusion on March 15th through earMUSIC. A full-length, called Empire Of The Undead, is due later in the year via earMUSIC.

How the mighty have fallen: SKID ROW has signed a deal with Megaforce Records. The band's EP, United World Rebellion - Chapter One, will be released on April 16th.

Austrian band EDENBRIDGE has signed a worldwide deal with Steamhammer. The band's next album, The Bonding, will be released on June 21st. The Bonding was mixed by Karl Groom of THRESHOLD at Thin Ice Studio in Surrey, England.

BISON B.C. has been dropped by Metal Blade.

HELLION is putting together a compilation album and is asking for the public’s input. Fans can contact singer Ann Boleyn through newrenaissance@yahoo.com.

FREEDOM CALL will release a compilation album, Ages Of Light, on April 26th through SPV/Steamhammer.

MASTERPLAN will release a new album, called Novum Initium, on April 26th through AFM Records.

U.D.O. will release a new album, called Steelhammer, on May 24th through AFM Records. The album was produced by singer Udo Dirkschneider and Fitty Wienhold.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM has re-signed with Metal Blade Records and will release a new album, called Ugly Noise, in 2013.

CRADLE OF FILTH has cancelled its U.S. tour '28 Days Closer To Hell' due to U.S. immigration issues. The members could not obtain a visa.

French progressive metal band HACRIDE will release a new album, Back To Where You've Never Been, on April 19th through Indie Recordings.

Frontiers Records will release WHITESNAKE's DVD, Made In Japan, on Tuesday, April 23rd.

EMI will release IRON MAIDEN's a DVD called Maiden England '88 on March 25th. This show was filmed at two shows at Birmingham N.E.C Arena, U.K.

SAXON’s new album Sacrifice is out this month through UDR.

Canadian hard rock band REVERSE GRIP has signed a worldwide management deal with Germany’s Rock N Growl Management. Rock N Growl and REVERSE GRIP are currently shopping the band’s debut album, Hunger For Chaos.

DEEP PURPLE will release a studio album, called Now What?!, through earMUSIC in late March.

High Roller Records will release a 4-LP vinyl box set by JAG PANZER, entitled Historical Battles - The Early Years, on April 19th . It is limited to 500 copies and features much of the band’s early material. The band is scheduled for Keep It True festival, on April 25-26th, 2014.

CRYING STEEL will release its second album Time Stands Steel through My Graveyard Productions on April 22nd, 2013. This new album comes out six years after The Steel Is Back album.

American Heavy Metal band BLOOD OF KINGS has signed a deal with My Graveyard Productions to release its debut album, Starvation, which is scheduled for release on April 22nd, 2013.

Jan Axel 'Hellhammer' Blomberg is on drums in DYNASTY OF DARKNESS (formerly known as DEATH OF DESIRE). Guest singers are Weston Coppola and Attila Csihar. Steve Tucker (ex-MORBID ANGEL) is producing the symphonic band’s album.

Hard rockers BADMOTORFINGER have signed on with logic(il)logic Records to release the full-length, It's Not The End", featuring 13 tracks. The release date for the debut album is late spring of 2013.

Served Hot, the debut album from Ukrainian sleaze/glam band JOHN GÄLT was released on February 26th through Street Symphonies after a delay.

The young Milan-based thrash metal band BLINDEATH has signed a deal with My Graveyard Productions to release its first EP Headshot! It is scheduled for release on April 22nd, 2013.

Japan’s progressive rock and hard rock band EARLY CROSS has signed to Lion Music and will issue Pathfinder on the label.

Italian hard rockers VICOLO INFENO have signed a deal with logic(il)logic Records to release their debut album Hourglass, which is scheduled for release in the spring.

VICIOUS RUMORS will release a new studio album, Electric Punishment, on April 26th through Steamhammer.

JOE SATRIANI will issue an album called Unstoppable Momentum in May.

Angels’ Necropolis, the debut album from Sweden’s YEAR OF THE GOAT is out through Van Records. The Satanic band has a video for Spirits Of Fire and touring Europe.

IVANHOE has signed a new contract with Massacre Records. The band is at The Red Room Studio with producer Andy recording Systematrix, which will be released on May 24th.

MANILLA ROAD has release its Mysterium album through Shadow Kingdom Records.

ENSLAVED was forced to cancel its Toronto concert of February 19th at The Opera House after being "trapped in a blizzard" at the U.S.A/Canada border near Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE will release a new album, Black Dog Barking, on May 21st through Roadrunner Records.

Singer Todd La Torre has quit CRIMSON GLORY to focus on QUEENSRŸCHE. La Torre joined QUEENSRŸCHE in June of 2012 as the replacement for Geoff Tate. The latter is writing an album he claims is solidly heavy.

Norwegian techno metal band BENEA REACH will release an album called Possession on March 25th through Spinefarm Records.

FAIR WARNING will release a new album, Sundancer, on May 24th through Steamhammer.

Nuclear Blast Records has signed German hard rockers KADAVAR. The band’s album, Abra Kadavar, was recorded in drummer Tiger's studio and is due for release on April 5th.

DEATH RIDES A HORSE’s Tree Of Woe MCD is being issued through Inferno Records. The Danish band will re-release the Tree Of Woe Cassette on CD with bonus songs including ones from their Pantokrator EP.

Inspired by KEEL? WARLORD has reunited and will release a new album, The Holy Empire, in March. The album will be issued by Sons Of A Dream Music/Battle Hymns Music. The band will play at the Keep It True XVI festival taking place April 19-20th in Lauda-Koenigshofen, Germany.

The Giants of Auld from Scotland’s CNOC AN TURSA will see North American release on March 26th through Candlelight’s Cult Series. It’s the debut release from the pagan metal band. The Giants of Auld, already released in Europe, was produced by Chris Fielding (PRIMORDIAL, ELECTRIC WIZARD, NAPALM DEATH, etc.).

After a couple of years’ of sporadic shows, reports of newer songs and a new album ANACRUSIS has gone back into hiatus.

LOUDNESS will be joined once again by vocalist Mike Vescera for a one-off show on April 14th at the Live N' Louder festival in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He now fronts Animetal USA. It is unclear why singer Niihara is unavailable.

Greek heavy metal band INNERWISH has recruited George Eikosipentakis. He replaces Babis Alexandropoulos who quit the band last year.


Metallian Demos

MORTÖR – SHOOT ‘EM UP
After hearing the album several times one finds indifferent songs, weaker songs and stronger songs the conclusion was that Shoot ‘Em Up is the best of the bunch. Now writing this review it just became apparent that the song is the title track. Combing through the press sheet the publicist compares the band to Arch Enemy (no), Exodus (no), Machine Head (no), Cannibal Corpse (yes), Dethklok (yes) and Gojira (yes). The music becomes habitual after a while and not because it is not brutal. The exact same thing is true about the vocals. They are deep but not from the abdomen and sometimes sound whispered, but when Dave Paquette really growls he really growls. The band with the cool graphics is at www.mortor.net and the publicist is at ashermedia@gmail.com. At 14 songs this CD has 8 songs too many to carry the quality from start to finish. – Anna Tergel

EVADNE – THE SHORTEST WAY
It is odd for a funeral doom metal band to call its disc ‘The Shortest Way,’ but here it is. The disc is comprised of eight tracks in 60 minutes and features all the hallmarks of the sub-genre. A gloomy deep growl lies over drawn out riffs, heavy desperation and sentimental passages of doom. The group compares itself to Skepticism, but frankly any of the forerunners of the genre would do. Keyboards, female vocals and sound effects of nature also make an appearance; however, none of this leads to a deterioration of the band’s delivery. No Place For Hope, which begins the disc, is quite heavy. All I Will Leave Behind is over ten minutes long and the band’s most comprehensive song – and yes the female vocals are on the track. The spoken word segment is semi-dismal and semi-freaky. The Wanderer is shorter and has a guitar solo straight out of Pink Floyd’s playbook. Gloomy Garden, which ends this CD has the clean vocals before switching back to heavy growls reminiscent of the Amorphis debut.
Doom metal and funeral doom sufferers, in particular, will want this round thing. Reach the band though www.luggamusic.com or evadnemail@gmail.com. - Ali “The Metallian”

HART - THE CONQUEROR
What a weird little glam band. Logo, cover, sound, looks (two of the gentlemen have long hair) and the tunes, but the singer is like little King Diamond. His name is Rock Hart, he previously fronted Seks and he lists his home country as Norway. Now Norway is across the water from Denmark. Could he be King Diamond's bastard son and has mixed daddy's metal with his own love of glam and hard rock? On Neon Dreams, he even goes for the KD vocal passages. The music rocks and is so early Ratt, Bang Tango and Poison that every good-looking hard rocking girl will take a fancy to it. Several titles are suspect though. Hotter Than Hell? 25 to Love (25 To Life?)? Scream And Shout? Rock Me? Wild Streets? Where have I heard these before? These are all originals too. Rock Me, by the way, is so good with its incessant guitar solo, but the vocals are not at all like the rest of the disc. Hmmm... Someone putting us on? In the meantime, crank it up. Get to the band through mrrockhart@gmail.com and visit http://www.hart-rock.com/. It is so good. - Sheila Wes Det