Metallian Heavy

After doing the same with NAPALM DEATH and AT THE GATES, VOIVOD is also issuing a split 7” with ENTOMBED A.D. VOIVOD’s song is the track Fall from the Post Society EP. VOIVOD is working on an album for 2017.

Ottawa, Canada’s CHARIOTS OF THE GODS returns in 2016 with an upcoming demo called Ages Unsung, which is set for release on September 16th.

Mind Cemeteries, the demo from multi-national 10-string death/math metal group COMA CLUSTER VOID, is out soon.

OVERKILL has picked Grinding Wheel as the title for its next album, which is due this autumn through Nuclear Blast. OVERKILL, NILE and AMORPHIS will tour the USA next winter.

Arizona death metal newcomers GATECREEPER have announced a debut album called Sonoran Depravation through Relapse in October.

Italian Grindcore band NEID toured the USA last month.

Fredericton, Canada-based HARD CHARGER is on the road for dates across West Coast USA and Vancouver, Canada. The tour is in support of the new release Bad Omens available on cassette from No List Records, CD from Vleestak Records and 12” LP from Wasted Time Records.

ACT OF DEFIANCE is on the road this autumn headlining shows across the USA. Additionally, the band will appear with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and HELLYEAH on several dates.

DEEDS OF FLESH has picked up drummer Darren Cesca (ESCHATON, GORATORY, PILLORY, etc.). Cesca takes the place of Mike Hamilton (EXHUMED) who amicably parted ways with the band.

Portugal’s DEMENTIA 13 has issued Ways Of Enclosure on tape through Caverna Abismal Records. It was originally released on CD by Memento Mori. The trio is comprised of experienced people from the Portuguese underground including members of HOLOCAUSTO CANIBAL, PITCH BLACK, GRUNT, etc.

Fast Break! Records has issued the label’s first release for long-running Syracuse-based metal outfit FREYA by announcing the September release of the band’s Grim LP. The album features Karl Buechner (EARTH CRISIS and THE PATH OF RESISTANCE) and drummer Dirk Verbeuren (MEGADETH and SOILWORK).

Phil Anselmo (DOWN, SUPERJOINT, SCOUR etc.) filled in for EYEHATEGOD vocalist Mike Williams on two shows. The first one was at Southport Music Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 19th and the second at the 2016 edition of Gwar BQ in Richmond, Virginia on August 20th. Williams is dealing with health issues. EYEHATEGOD was not deterred by Anselmo’s racist attitude and utterings.

ABIGAIL WILLIAMS, BELPHEGOR and ORIGIN used The Conjuring The Dead North American Raid Part II monicker to play shows at twenty four cities in North America from August 11th through September 4th.

BROKEN HOPE will issue an album called Mutilated & Assimilated this December.

The first annual New Orleans Metal Festival takes place September 23-26 at the Siberia Music Club. The 4-day and 23-band line-up features MARDUK (Sweden), CARACH ANGREN (Netherlands), NECRONOMICON (Canada), ROTTING CHRIST (Greece), STRIKE MASTER (Mexico), HAWG JAW (New Orleans), GRISTNAM (New Orleans), VBT (TX), EMERALD HEAVY (MS) and DARK STAR COVEN (Pensacola, FL). For more information visit http://www.neworleansmetalfestival.com.

Turkish technical death metal band CARNOPHAGE will release a full-length through Unique Leader Records this autumn. Titled Monument, the nine-track CD was recorded by Unsal Ozata at Studio Deep.

DARKTHRONE will release a new album, called Arctic Thunder, on October 14th through Peaceville.

MORBID ANGEL has signed with UDR Music for North America and Europe. A new album is expected in 2017. The death metal forerunners have also been playing techno music recently.

The Slithering Bog is a six-track EP from US death/doom group SWAMP WITCH. Recorded during July, 2014 at Earhammer Studio in Oakland, California by Greg Wilkinson, the record was initially released on cassette through Transylvanian Tapes and is now available on vinyl through Tribunal Of The Axe.

Nefarious Industries will issue BANGLADEAFY’s Narcopaloma on August 26th. The band has been described as techno metal.

DEATH ANGEL will kick off shows this month supporting SLAYER and ANTHRAX. Commencing on September 4th and running through October 30th, the tour will cover three dozen cities and includes a number of headlining shows scattered throughout the trek.

CATTLE DECAPITATION will head back out on the road for a North American headlining tour before joining BRUJERIA for a trek across the US in October with ETERNAL SLEEP and PIÑATA PROTEST joining them on select dates. The entire stretch will run from September 22nd through October 21st.

Metal Blade has signed New York-based experimental metal band TOMBS. The band will tour with WOLVHAMMER this autumn and is working on a new record.

Alpha Ghoul is the debut full-length from grinding band DENY THE CROSS. The group is comprised of current and past members of SPAZZ, BLACK ARMY JACKET, AGENTS OF SATAN, MUNICIPAL WASTE and DISCORDANCE AXIS. The album is out through Tank Crimes.

Tickets are now on sale for Edmonton, Canada’s Black Mourning Light Metal Festival, a show of black, doom and death metal from October 21st to 23rd. Several of the bands playing are WORMWITCH, NORILSK, PANZERFAUST, CELL and HOLOCAUST LORD. https://blackmourninglight.wordpress.com.

Tom Searle, the 28-year old guitarist for British metalcore band ARCHITECTS, has died due to cancer.

The Whole Of The Law is the name for the next ANAAL NATHRAKH album, which will be issued this October through Metal Blade.

Give Praise Records has issued BENT SEA and TO DUST’s split record called Ascend and Descend respectively.

American band HAVOK was kicked off the MEGADETH tour with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, AMON AMARTH and others after refusing to sign a management deal with Justis Mustaine, the son of MEGADETH founder Dave Mustaine. The band deemed the contract unacceptable. Justis had been working with HAVOK for a year and claims he had been compensated poorly and hence wanted to make his income official as an “industry standard” 15%.

MEGADETH cancelled its San Salvador, El Salvador concert after two songs on Friday August 26th due to a severe tropical rain.

COGNITIVE has signed with Unique Leader Records and will release a full-length called Deformity in December.

Give Praise Records is issuing THE AFTERNOON GENTLEMEN’s Still Pissed album. The band grinds.

Dead Center Productions has issued AGGRAVATOR’s Sterile Existence album. The band’s style is thrash metal.

Windsor’s THE APEX will be performing at the fourth edition of the Ontario Death Fest on Friday, October 21st in Toronto at Coalition T.O. alongside THE ZETA RETICULI, ACCURSED SPAWN, MENDACITY, EXPERIMENT SPECIMEN and VILEDRIVER.

Brasov, Romania-based so-called melodic death metal band FALSE REALITY has had a line-up change in advance of the release of its new album, End of Eternity, out soon through Loud Rage Music. Bassist Radu Grosu has left after seven years with the band and been replaced by Marc Spedalska.

Black and death metal duo VEILBURNER has a new demo called The Obscene Rite.

The Dutch band RAZEND has issued a video for the song Girl in The Mirror. Find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ra6K6DExCI


Metallian Hard

The Swedish power metal band VEONITY releases its new recording on September 23rd. The disc is called Into The Void and is a concept album about a dystopic and futuristic space saga about the earth dying due to mankind's greed and a lonely man who escapes into space.

UK melodic hard rock band JUPITER FALLS has announced that the follow-up to the Revolution release is called Faces In The Sand Part One and will be out in November through Broken Road Records.

Italian heavy rock band BADMOTORFINGER will release an EP, called Heroes, on September 27th through logic(il)logic Records. It features three new songs and three older ones.

Italian heavy metal band TYTUS has signed with Sliptrick Records for the release of its debut release Rises, which is due in October.

Brazilian band ALMAH lead by ex-ANGRA singer Edu Falaschi will be releasing a new album entitled E.V.O on September 23rd through Pride & Joy Music (EU), Test Your Metal (CA/MX/US) and King Records (Japan).

UDO will release a live album called Live - Back To The Roots on October 28th through AFM Records. The album was recorded on April 2nd at Kaminwerk in Memmingen, Germany.

SAINT VITUS will release a live album, called Live Vol. 2, on September 23rd through Season Of Mist.

Laser's Edge will issue an album by New York City-based progressive quintet EDENSONG, called Years In The Garden Of Years, featuring seventy minutes of music.

On the fifth anniversary of THE GREAT KAT’s Beethoven Shreds (originally released on August 9th, 2011) the guitarist has reissued the disc. In the meantime, America’s Beethoven Exhibit at the American Beethoven Society features The Great Kat’s Beethoven Shreds. Visit http://americanbeethovensociety.org/exhibits/americasbeethoven/popularmusic.html.

UK melodic hard rock band THE DARKER MY HORIZON has an album called No Superhero out through Broken Road Records.

HYPNOTHETICALL is currently composing songs for its third full-length and plans to enter the recording studio in early 2017.

Canadian heavy metal and stoner rock band BLACK WIZARD is on a North American tour supporting VOLBEAT and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE.

TONY MACALPINE will conduct a tour of the West Coast of the U.S.A. including several shows supporting STEVE VAI's Passion And Warfare 25th-anniversary tour. His cancer is under control.

PRETTY MAIDS will release a new album, entitled Kingmaker, on November 4th through Frontiers Music.

ROCK WOLVES is a new project featuring Herman Rarebell, Michael Voss and Stephan "Gudze" Hinz. The band will release its self-titled debut album on October 28th through Steamhammer/SPV.

Former UFO and WAYSTED bassist Pete Way suffered a heart attack while on a business trip to Germany and was hospitalized.

Norwegian band EMPEROR will return in 2017 for a few shows perfoming the Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk album in its entirety to commemorate the record’s 20th anniversary.

Bobby Blotzer's version of RATT has recruited former L.A. GUNS and current ANGELS IN VEIN guitarist Stacey Blades and bassist Todd Kerns of SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS to take over for Nicholas "Blaze" Baum and Robbie Crane who recently left the band.

HAMMERFALL will release its next album, Built To Last, on November 4th through Austria's Napalm Records.

Canadian hard rock band KOBRA AND THE LOTUS has signed a worldwide deal with Napalm Records. The band's next albums, Prevail I + II, will be released separately in 2017.

Wacken Open Air surprised the audience with a hologram of Ronnie James Dio singing with his former bandmates in DIO DISCIPLES. The latter band is also managed by Dio’s former wife and manager Wendy Dio who has gained employment at the hologram company. The band and company hope to commercialize the technology further via a tour in 2017.

Finnish band AMORPHIS has announced a special Eclipse tour for this winter in order to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the release.

The popular ‘80s line-up of DOKKEN will play its so far sole U.S. reunion show on September 30th at Badlands Pawn Guns Gold And Rock 'N' Roll in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The band reunited for money for a Japanese tour.

Frontiers Music will release SECRET SPHERE's live album, called One Night In Tokyo, on October 14th.

‘80s’ band TORA TORA reunited for one show on August 21st for a benefit concert at Minglewood Hall in Memphis, Tennessee to help bassist Patrick Francis who is diagnosed with cancer.

Brazilian power metal band HIBRIA has again postponed its US dates for their 20th anniversary North American tour due to visa issues.

IN FLAMES will release its next album, entitled Battles, on November 11th through Nuclear Blast.

American ‘family values’ and evangelical Christian voters have chosen Donald Trump as their presidential nominee. No word if Trump intends to divorce and remarry again while in office or ‘meet’ as many women as before while president.


Metallian Demos

SLUDGEHAMMER – THE FALLEN SUN
We all agree that men over 90, women, especially Chinese women, Indians, especially Chinese women, people from The Philippines and especially Chinese women should get off the road and those who gave them a driver's license to begin with should be shot or hung from lampposts. If these things are prohibited where you live then those granting these groups a driver’s license should be condemned to driving in the car alongside these people. Rational beings also agree the metal music should be extreme, driven, guitar-oriented and have an amount of energy outside the realm of the mainstream. In the case of Canada’s Sludgehammer the guitar sound has such a buzz that poseurs flee in all directions within a 5 km radius. The news bulletin is that The Fallen Sun by Toronto-based Sludgehammer is those things.
There is an Exodus chug to this band, some Megadeth guitar interplay (from when that band was good) and great solos and two distinct vocalists. Demons From The Woodwork has a sharp start, solos and then accelerates and becomes even better. Intestines Entwined’s guitars are such that a dental surgeon's drill has nothing on these guys. The guitars notably are akin to Megadeth's from before they discovered Christ and went AOR. A piano starts The Black Abyss, followed by the bass and then it is back to business and sadly some clean singing.
Frankly, the second of the two vocals – like the tortured singing on Revolting - are an acquired taste, but they really are not bad and coupled with the music make for a really good band.
Ectogenesis starts with an intro recording a US soldier bombing the world from a remote location like a coward that he is. This is one crazily good track. The deep growls are a boon even if the song would have worked as an instrumental. Carrion Eater unashamedly apes Iron Maiden to start and has commercial vocals, but soon improves with a guitar interplay. Organ harvester is a riff bonanza and Casualties ends the album on what could be described really as a compilation of the band’s stuff – the goods. Instead of an actual website the band only maintains corporate web pages so go here: http://sludgehammermusic.bandcamp.com or write them at sludgehammermusic@gmail.com. - Ali “The Metallian”

STRIKER - STAND IN THE FIRE
The Edmonton, Canada band has been around since 2007 and Stand In the Fire is the band's sixth full-length since 2009.The cover art might make the listener expect something akin to epic power metal out of western Canada, however the opener takes the a simpler hard rock, heavy metal approach. Phoenix Lights, aided by the vocals of Dan Cleary and the melodies and riffs ventures into 80's glam metal territory. The second song even includes a brief saxophone section, only the quartet can answer the why? question. The band's "full speed" claim is questionable but at least Striker seems to try to keep the tempo up. Too Late, the third song, and the whole album can perhaps be compared to Pretty Maids. Outlaw is perhaps the album's best and adds more pure heavy metal-ness. Better Times is more hard rock but as the songs before it with a healthy dose of guitars, courtesy of Tim Brown. Brown's solos and guitar work fit the ‘80s heavy metal style well and he does his best George Lynch impression too. Unsurprisingly a ballad is here too, the album closes with One Life slowing things down for most of its four minutes. The sound is clear and showcases the band well, Stand In The Fire is mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordstrom. The song credits are listed as "All songs written by Striker except Chase Your Dreams written by Titan Force" but the song is nowhere to be heard! Head over to www.striker-metal.com to chase and grab Stand In The Fire. – Anna Tergel