Metallian Heavy

Initially formed in 2009 as the side-project of FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE members Francesco Paoli and Paolo Rossi, and now featuring the line-up of vocalist Luigi Valenti, guitarist Stefano Rossi Ciucci, bassist Riccardo Rogari and drummer Giacomo Torti, BLOODTRUTH has signed with Unique Leader and will issue an album called Obedience soon.

EXODIA is back with a new album in collaboration with Art Gates Records and Gateways Productions. The new album is entitled Hellbringer.

IRON REAGAN is touring the USA this April. The band is touring first with the OCCULTIST and then with GHOUL and OCCULTIST as part of the Weapons of Mosh Destruction II tour.

IMPALED NAZARENE will release its next album, Vigorous And Liberating Death, on April 14th through Osmose Productions. The album will contain the following 13 new songs. The album will be mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox studios. The cover artwork was designed by Taneli Jarva.

Thrash metal band LETHAL VICE will issue an EP called Thrash Converters this year through Suspiria Records. The band hails from Spain.

PRIMALFROST’s debut full-length album Prosperous Visions was released on February 10th through Maple Metal Records. PRIMALFROST played a Toronto CD release show with MOONSPELL, LEAVES EYES, and ATROCITY on February 20th at the Mod Club.

Following The Fleshland album Tokyo, Japan’s COFFINS has confirmed a US shows this spring. Beginning May 18th, COFFINS will play Chicago, Cleveland, Brooklyn and Philadelphia before closing down the run with a return to Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore on May 22nd.

Inspired by KEEL? DESPISED ICON, which retired back in 2010, will play several reunion shows this spring.

EVOCATION has recruited drummer Conny Pettersson of ANATA to the band’s ranks.

RESURRECTION has signed a deal with Old School Metal Records for the release of the band’s next album. Due out in March, Soul Descent – March Of Death will be supported by a European tour beginning this month. RESURRECTION has parted ways with bassist and singer Damien Chavez. Replacing Chavez is Jeff Surmell of SOLACE OF REQUIEM.

Iceland’s death metal band BENEATH will release a full-length album, The Barren Thorne, on April 29th through Unique Leader Records. The album was helmed by Polish producers Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawski.

MASS MURDER MESSIAH has recruited former NEURAXIS singer Alex Leblanc.

GORY BLISTER has signed a deal with Sliptrick Records for the release of its next album.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett joined his former band EXODUS on stage on Friday, February 7th at his first annual horror convention, Kirk Von Hammett’s Fear FestEviL, which took place at at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. The band played EXODUS’ Piranha and the BLUE ÖYSTER CULT song Godzilla.

Candlelight Records has signed Irish band ABADDON INCARNATE. The band’s fifth album, Pessimist, will be released sometime in 2014.

New York City-area metal quintet, GREY SKIES FALLEN, is preparing to release an independent CD this spring called The Many Sides of Truth.

THE FACELESS has parted ways with guitarist Wes Hauch.

ENTHRONED has a new album called Sovereigns. The album is the follow-up to 2012’s Obsidium and is out on April 15th through Agonia Records.

CRADLE OF FILTH’s late demo Total Fucking Darkness will be released in vinyl format on May 5th as part of a bigger release. The record also features Spattered In Faeces from the Goetia sessions and unreleased songs.

AUTOPSY’s next album Tourniquets, Hacksaws And Graves will be out on April 29th through Peaceville Records. The album was recorded at Fantasy Studio with producer Adam Munoz.

LOUDBLAST has signed with Listenable Records and will issue an album called Burial Ground this year.

Living Fast is a heavy metal talk show created by Ryan Waste (MUNICIPAL WASTE). The first episode of the YouTube series was filmed on January 18, 2014 and featured John Gallagher of Raven!

American Grindcore band MISERY INDEX has announced The Killing Gods as the title for its forthcoming full-length. The band’s fifth studio album will hit the stores on May 23rd.

Consume, the second album from Tucson-based quintet LETHAL DOSAGE is out through Battleground Records.

AS I LAY DYING’s singer Tim Lambesis has changed his plea to guilty for hiring someone to kill his estranged wife.

LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe is composing music for the Richmond Ballet.

Drummer Gus Rios has left MALEVOLENT CREATION due to personal reasons. He is looking for a new gig. The band, however, claims to have fired its “gay” drummer due to a snafu with flights and a show in Chicago. Justin Dipinto who recorded the Malevolent Creation album The Will To Kill is back.

British band ARCHITECTS will release a new album, Lost Forever // Lost Together, on March 11th through Epitaph Records.

CROWBAR will release a new album, Symmetry In Black, on May 27th through Entertainment One Music.


Metallian Hard

UDO has re-signed with AFM Records for three more albums.

CRASHDÏET has independently re-released its first demo as Illegal Rarities Volume 1 Limited-Edition Digipack CD.

GREEN CARNATION will reunite to play its second “concept show,” A Night Under The Dam in Norway on July 31st.

Eagle Rock has announced May 12th as the release date for DIO's Live In London: Hammersmith Apollo on DVD, Blu-ray and CD. The material stems from 1993.

French heavy metal band EXISTANCE will release its first full-length album, Steel Alive, on April 25th through Mausoleum Records.

The original KISS lineup with guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss will not perform at its Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction this April. The band has announced it will not play at the event in Brooklyn.

After three years of service KATATONIA has asked guitarist Per 'Sodomizer' Eriksson (also in BLOODBATH) to leave. Bruce Soord (THE PINEAPPLE THIEF and WISDOM OF CROWDS) is guesting with the band.

LILLIAN AXE will release an acoustic and live album, One Night In The Temple, on April 15th through CME Records. It was produced by Steve Blaze.

DON DOKKEN has released the out-of-print solo album Solitary in digital format through Amazon. The album was initially sold at concerts including acoustic dates as opener for QUEENSRŸCHE.

ANUBIS GATE will release its next album, Horizons, on April 15th through Nightmare Records.

EDGUY has picked Space Police - Defenders Of The Crown as the title for its next album. The follow-up to 2011's Age Of The Joker will be released on April 18th through Nuclear Blast.

AC/DC will record a new album beginning May in Vancouver, Canada.

Singer and guitarist Tod Howarth (FREHLEY'S COMET), guitarist Sean Kelly (CRASH KELLY and HELIX), bassist John Regan (FREHLEY'S COMET and PETER FRAMPTON) and drummer Stet Howland (W.A.S.P., LITA FORD, etc.) have a new project called FOUR BY FATE. The band is writing new music.

EXORCISM, featuring Joe "Shredlord" Stump, will release its album, I Am God on April 25th through GoldenCore Records/ZYX Music.

CROMM CRUAC will issue its album Senecio with bonus material through Vic Records later in 2014. The release will contain five demo tracks for the bonus section.

Drummer Marky Edelmann (a.k.a. Marquis Marky) of the reunited CORONER is leaving the band.

Neurot Recordings has signed doom metal trio, YOB. The band will release its seventh studio album this autumn. It will be preceded by an appearance at the Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands in April.

SPIRALARMS, featuring Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN and ex-MANMADEGOD) on guitar has recruited former DEATH ANGEL drummer Andy Galeon.

Glenn Hughes and Jason Bonham have a new band called CALIFORNIA BREED.

SATAN is playing six shows in Canada and the USA this April. The Life Sentence On North America 2014 shows support the band’s Life Sentence album.

SCORPIONS has recorded RAINBOW's Temple Of The King to be included on an upcoming Ronnie James Dio tribute album. METALLICA and MOTORHEAD are also on the album. The This Is Your Life album is out through Rhino in April.

Spanish Heavy Metal outfit SOVENGAR recently signed a deal with Art Gates Records for the worldwide release of its debut in April.

Sammy Hagar gathered members of CHICKENFOOT, NIGHT RANGER and MR. BIG for a sold-out February benefit concert to help defray mounting expenses for Lisa Lauser, the wife of drummer David Lauser. Lisa was his webmaster, while David drummed for him. Lisa has brain cancer. Hagar wants the experimental therapy antineoplaston therapy to be approved in the USA so Lisa can use it to battle her brain tumor.

HELLION has signed a contract with HNE/Cherry Red Records. The three-disc contract will kick off with a 2-disc compilation entitled To Hellion And Back, which will be out on April 1st. The first 1,000 copies will be autographed by singer Ann Boleyn. Simon Wright of AC/DC is behind a band of new members.

STEVE GRIMMETT'S GRIM REAPER will perform in the USA for the first time since 1987 on April 5th at the Ragnarökkr Metal Apocalypse festival at Reggies bar in Chicago, Illinois.

GUNS N' ROSES has will return to Las Vegas this spring for its second residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

KROKUS will release a new live album, Long Stick Goes Boom - Live From Da House Of Rust, on March 21st.


Metallian Demos

TRIBUNE – TALES
Over a year and a half ago we featured a review of Burnaby’s Tribune and the then new demo, Elder Lore / The Dark Arts. Much of what was said regarding the band’s previous release easily relates to Tales. Let us recap.
The band is pretty interesting and extreme musically. If anything, the Canadians have gone more extreme and ditched the rockier influences for a more underground metal stance. The singer, Bryan Baker, though ruins it all – or nearly all. He is the band’s most remarkable element, and not in a good way. The man goes from screeching and screaming extremeness (good) to preachy and theatric clean flat singing (not good). It is a dichotomy that neither works nor is appreciated.
Apparently, the well-designed and professional CD is, as the title promises, a number of tales or chapters, but no matter for it is mostly a waste. It is sad as the band has a tight sound, capable guitars and drums and even the said singer can impress when he wants to. Chapter V Horror, for instance, has Baker spitting words in such rapid-fire style to powerful effect. It is soon negated however.
Tribune needs to dump the posing and commit to clout and power all the way. The band is at www.tribunemetal.com or could be reached via ashermedia@gmail.com. - Ali “The Metallian”

BURNS FROM WITHIN - A.D.
Burns From Within is a Worcester, MA, US quartet that has been around for around 5 years and this EP is a follow-up to their Origins full-length. The band's motto is “We just come to put boot to ass.” The four songs, Incident, Not My Savior, Under Southern Skies and Breaking Down Again, are sometimes too mellow and laid back for that motto, however. When Johnny Walker Black switches between clean vocals and grunts it seems that the rest of the band lose the edge and revert to Alice In Chains type grungy toned-down melancholy. Not My Savior keeps the tempo up highest and is the highlight. The band list Alice In Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and others as influences and among others listed like Iron Maiden and Black Sabbath they generally stick to a kind of grungy hard rock.
The band's bio lists www.facebook.com/burnsfromwithin as the contact, but this seems to be Facebook page of one of the band's managers(?) and the not band's page itself which is www.facebook.com/pages/Burns-From-Within/113855241966679. – Anna Tergel