LOUDNESS will release a new album, called Rise To Glory, through Ward Music in January.

Lion Music is issuing OPPOSING MOTION's second album Inertia. It features guitarist Joe McGurk of OPEROSE.

Sweden-based progressive metal band BINARY CREED is following up on its Restitution album with the new A Battle Won album through Rockshots Records/MVD Entertainment Distribution this month.

Finland´s doom metal band CARDINALS FOLLY will release its Deranged Pagan Sons album through Topillo Records this month.

DOKKEN is working on an album, which is due in mid-2018.

HAMMERFALL and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM will tour North America in 2018 beginning the spring.

JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR will have a new studio album, Stand Your Ground, through High Roller Records this month.

Sweden-based “Viking metallers” FROM NORTH shall release its debut self-titled album through Downfall Records.

PÄNZER’s second album, which is called Fatal Command, is out October 6th through Nuclear Blast.

NOCTURNAL RITES’ Phoenix album will be released on September 29 through AFM.

Inspired by KEEL? MADAM X has reformed and signed a deal with EMP, which will release the band’s Monstrocity album on October 31st. It was mixed by Michael Wagener.

CHASTAIN has re-issued its 2015 album We Bleed Metal keeping the original’s drums and vocals, but adding and rerecording the other instruments. With only one guitar track on the album the disc is as close a sound to a live performance as possible given that the band does not tour. It is out on Pure Steel Records and Leviathan Records Worldwide.

Not to be confused with the German act with the same name, a track called Pursuit Of Destruction by BLOODY TIMES, featuring two former ICED EARTH members John Greely (vocals on Night Of The Stormrider) and Raphael Saini (drums on Plagues Of Babylon) is available on YouTube.

SAMAEL will release its next album, called Hegemony, on October 13 through Napalm Records.

Century Media Records has signed British heavy metal band SAVAGE MESSIAH. The band will release its next full-length album, entitled Hands Of Fate, on October 27.

The Finland-based hard rock band STUD will issue its third full-length Circle Of Lies on September 1st. Circle Of Lies will be released through Cranksonic.

RAPTORE’s Rage N' Fever album is out through Witches Brew. The Argentina-based band plays heavy metal.

Tim Gaines is officially out as a member of white metal band STRYPER.

WITHERFALL has signed a worldwide deal with Century Media Records. The band’s debut album Nocturnes And Requiems is out this autumn and had been issued independently by the band. Drummer Adam Sagan died last year. The band features guitarist Jake Dreyer who is also in Century Media band ICED EARTH.

Canada-based ANARCHEON is embarking on a Western Canadian tour that will kick off in Vancouver on August 24th and wrap up in Prince George on September 2nd.

AFIRE, the new Finnish female-fronted melodic hard rock band featuring SENTENCED and IMPALED NAZARENE members, has released its debut demo. The band is Suvi Hiltunen –Vocals, Sami Kukkohovi (MYTOS, SENTENCED, SOLUTION 13, etc.) and Antti Leiviskä (POISONBLACK) – Guitar, Harri Halonen (IMPALED NAZARENE) – Bass and Tarmo Kanerva (POISONBLACK, SENTENCED, POISONBLACK, etc.) – Drums.

The new album by TERRIBLE OLD MAN, called Fungi From Yuggoth, will be released through MDD Records on August 25th. The German heavy rockers, which are inspired by H. P. Lovecraft, have also filmed a video for the track The Port.

AUTOGRAPH has signed a deal with EMP and will release an album called Get Off Your Ass on October 6th on CD with a limited edition vinyl LP version available in November. The band features original members guitarist Steve Lynch and bassist Randy Rand, alongside new vocalist and rhythm guitarist Simon Daniels and drummer Marc Wieland.

Forged In Black is the name of the new demo by SINNER SANCTORUM. Chris Tsangarides has produced again.

Former AC/DC bassist from the ‘70s Mark Evans has joined Australia-based boogie rock band ROSE TATTOO.

US/Italy-based hard rock band NOT OVER YET has a demo called Axioms Of Life out on October 27th, 2017. The trio was founded by siblings in 2014.

DEF LEPPARD is planning to conduct a special tour in 2018 at which it will perform its ‘80s Hysteria album in its entirety.

US-based band EVERY MOTHER'S NIGHTMARE shall release a full-length album called Grind on October 6 2017through HighVolMusic.

Alternative rockers ENSLAVED will release a new album, simply called E, on October 13 through Nuclear Blast.

LEATHERWOLF is back in the UK after 28 years and touring with UK-based hard rockers THE DARKER MY HORIZON.

GENGHIS KHAN has signed a deal with Heaven And Hell Records which plans to reissue the band’s back catalog including 1986’s The Awakening demo and The Passage from 1989. The label is also reissuing ATTILA’s Rolling Thunder and Washington DC’s HELLION’s You Aren’t Welcome Here.

Mexico-based heavy metal band KOLTDOWN has a demo called Rising.

IRON MONKEY has an album called 9-13 after some twenty years of absence. The album will be issued through Relapse Records in October.

Italy-based UNREAL TERROR has a new album entitled The New Chapter through Jolly Roger Records on the 6th of October.

Portugal-based RAVENSIRE’s Tyrant's Dictum album is out through Witches Brew.

Doom metal band I, FORLORN has a demo called My Kingdom Eclipsed. This is a solo act.

Metal fights for the underprivileged, the oppressed and the suppressed. Metal hates Trump and his groupies.

HAMMERDRONE – DARK HARVEST
Canadian death metal unit Hammerdrone is a surprise. It is this girl’s first encounter with the band, but it is going to be one of many. The band is heavy, fast, has a good sound, the singer can growl and the lyrics are interesting to read and follow.
Among the many positive reviews on the band’s supplied biography, there is an insult or two trying to tie the act to inferior stuff like Dimmu Borgir and Soilwork. Ignore that. Hammerdrone is a superior musical delivery that, here the reviews are correct, smacks of Amon Amarth vocally and musically, Bolt Thrower vocally and even Sentenced from when they were good not the weakened goth albums.
Every member delivers on his share of the action. The band has a drummer who actually puts creativity into his heaviness, a lucid guitar tone and performance and even the bass of Teran Wyer comes into its own on the last two tracks, Collapse Of Reality and Lost In An Instant. Certainly there are a couple of instances of melodies that hearken to Iron Maiden and Dark Tranquillity, but in isolation they are fine. Hammerdrone is a smashing heavy group that is made even more interesting because of the title track that introduces the listener to the story of social justice fighters who go up against the terrorist actions of warmongers like the UK government in the name of life and the planet. Join the band here: https://hammerdrone.bandcamp.com - Anna Tergel

TEARDROP – PLAN Z
Teardrop is based in South Korea, which as far as metal is concerned is the only country with a lower output than Albania, Romania, Finland and other wimpy countries where corsets behind synthesizers and emasculated goth rockers rule.
Forget metal, who knew there are even guitars, bass and drums over in South Korea? Well, yes, there has always been YB, but most readers understand the preceding sentences. As it happens, Teardrop is not pure metal, the heaviest or a complete redemption for South Korea, but to be precise they do what they do extremely well. This poppy mixture of metalcore and progressive sounds is well crafted, well mixed and sound-wise is close to flawless. The band can create a heavy breakdown when it wishes – Broken Dream and On The Wind are examples – but mixes into commercial realms often with the vocals going from clean to screams to gruff at the same time. The best things here are the guitar tones, the screams and the heavy snare sound. Being compliant with its subgenre the band shuns leads. By the way, the melody on Neuron sounds like something Threshold would come up with until the band launch into a Caribbean sounding keyboards run.
The front and back covers hint at an industrial or techno sound, but aside from minor effects and the synthesizers those styles thankfully do not materialize. The lyrics are mostly in Hangul, yet as is the rule in South Korea and to abide by the principles of imperialism there is one track called Watch Out in English (“I can’t stop banging my head”) and random English words interspersed everywhere. Yes, it’s “Mr. Taxi, Taxi, Taxi jeukshi jeukshi jeukshi” time. See, Kim Jong Un has a point.
Teardrop is a little bit of a revelation and either one likes their well-crafted music despite it not being for metal fans or just wishes them luck given their good endeavour and locale. Find them at gmchc.blog.me. – Ali “The Metallian”

SOUL EXCHANGE - BLOODBOUND
Soul Exchange wins this year’s award for the most deceitful imagery. The band’s monicker, the album title, songs called Son Of Darkness, Date With The Devil and Torn To Pieces, the spherical ‘soul’ on the cover and indeed the black motif and design of the album had this reviewer ready for something akin to Deicide to flood out of the speakers. Well, instead of Sacrificial Suicide one gets a soulful mixture of hard and soft rock.
The disc’s first track is City Of The Ripper, which is the Swedes’ narration of the thoughts of Jack The Ripper. This song establishes the band’s sounds, emotional and mid to slow-paced delivery alongside vocal harmonies. Life Eternal is still dark, but in contrast nods to Alice Cooper. “I will take you from your grave,” sings Daniel John. Passenger Of Pain offers some music and vocals reminiscent of the softer moments of Threshold. The aforementioned Son Of Darkness produces even more of the vocalist’s silky voice, while Hangin’ On bears a clear comparison to Living Color. This is a full-length and is well produced in all aspects.
With all that said and referring back to the first paragraph one still has to question whether Soul Exchange is putting us on. The band’s website is at www.soulexchangeofficial.com. – Ali “The Metallian”