Metallian Heavy

PROSTITUTE DISFIGUREMENT will release From Crotch To Crown on February 4th through Willowtip Records. It is the follow-up to 2008’s Descendants Of Depravity.

Inspired by KEEL? SKINLESS has reformed after a two-year hiatus and signed with Relapse. A record is due next year.

Bassist Wojciech “Ikaroz” Janus of Polish black metal band BLAZE OF PERDITION was killed in a car accident last month while on tour in Austria. The band’s vocalist Pawel “Sonneillon” Marzec is in critical condition.

E-FORCE is recording its third album, entitled The Curse Of The C**t. The band is looking for a label for its 2014 record. The band features Eric Forrest former singer for VOIVOD.

Blake Judd of NACHTMYSTIUM, who was arrested last month in Chicago on charges of theft, has admitted to being a drug addict and has hence laid his band to rest in order to seek therapy. He has vowed to pay back moneys owed and deliver on reneged merchandise sales. The album, The World We Left Behind, is due in early 2014 through Century Media Records. He has however announced the end of the band.

Bass Guitar Magazine, which is based in the United Kingdom, has added Alex Webster of CANNIBAL CORPSE to the list of its columnists. Webster will write a monthly column.

CARCASS has been booked to perform at Kirk Hammet’s horror convention, Kirk Von Hammett’s Fear FestEviL, which will take place February 6th to 8th, 2014 at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California. The band has a “vomit-inducing” LP reissue of its debut album, Reek Of Putrefaction. It features the “original banned artwork of autopsy photographs” collected from medical journals.

Inspired by KEEL? HEXX has been recast and booked to play at the Keep It True festival, on April 25th to 26th, 2014 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. HEXX’s is Dennis Manzo (vocals), Dan Watson (guitar), Bill Peterson (bass) and Gary Gutfield (drums).

DESTRUCTION celebrated ’30 years of total destruction’ with a headlining show on November 15th at Helvete in Oberhausen, Germany. Support came from Polish thrash metal band WAR-SAW and YEAR OF THE GOAT.

CALIBAN will issue Ghost Empire through Century Media in January. The album was produced by guitarist Marc Görtz.

THE HORDE is at The Dungeon Of Doom studio with producer Drew Webster to record its second full-length album, Destroyer… Slayer of Men, due in 2014 through Abyss Records.

Italy’s DRAUGR has thrown in the towel.

LAMB OF GOD‘s bassist John Campbell has left the band’s North American tour due to a family emergency. His stand-in is Matt DeVries of FEAR FACTORY.

Tankcrimes Records has signed BAT. The project features MUNICIPAL WASTE guitarist Ryan Waste on bass and vocals, former DRI drummer Felix Griffin and VOLTURE guitarist Nick Poulos. The group’s Primitive Age demo EP is out now.

Grindcore band, ASS TO MOUTH, based out of Wroclaw, Poland has signed a deal with Selfmadegod Records. The label has confirmed a second full-length for February 2014. With the band’s current line-up consisting of vocalist Kuba, bassist and vocalist Jarek, guitarist Maciek and drummer Pablo, the Degenerate album was recorded, mixed and mastered at Hellsound/Soundscope Studio in Wroclaw.

Woodcut Records will release ALGHAZANTH‘s next full-length, entitled The Three-faced Pilgrim, on vinyl and as a digipak CD on the 13th of December. The band is Thasmorg vocals and bass, Grimort and Mordant guitars, Ekholm on piano and drummer Gorath Moonthorn.

BENIGHTED has named its forthcoming album Carnivore Sublime. The French lunatics’ seventh full-length will hit the stores on February 14th.

DRUDKH recently announced a forthcoming split EP with WINTERFYLLETH, to be released on January 17th. The EP, entitled Thousands Of Moons Ago / The Gates, features four tracks and showcases both bands covering songs from their earliest stylistic influences.

Forcefield Records has announced the release of the debut LP from grind/death act, YAUTJA. It is called Songs Of Descent.

THE KENNEDY VEIL is Casey Childers (ex-FORKTUNG), Gabe Seeber (ALTERBEAST, DECREPIT BIRTH, ex-WRETCHED DAWN), Cody Walker (ex-SKRIBBLE) and Shawn Peterson. The band’s Trinity Of Falsehood will be released worldwide on January 21st, 2014 through Unique Leader Records.

USA’s OBLIVION has issued the Called To Rise full-length through Unique Leader Records.

Louisville, Kentucky black metal band, ANAGNORISIS, will re-release its new album, Beyond All Light, adding multiple colours of vinyl to the list of formats already available.

Indie Recordings has signed Norwegian black metal band, KAMPFAR. The band’s next album, Djevelmakt (‘Devil Power’) will be released on January 27th, 2014.

DEUS OTIOSUS will enter the studio in January to begin recording its album, Rise.

DARK ANGEL has been booked for next year’s edition of the Sweden Rock Festival, taking place June 4th to 7th, 2014 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. Ron Rinehart is on vocals and Michael Gonzalez is on drums.

Due to problems with a nerve in his spine, drummer Lars Broddsson of MARDUK will not join the band on its upcoming tour with GRAVE. Filling in for him will be Fredrik Widigs of DEMONICAL repute.

Norwegian black metal band ISKALD will release an album, called Nedom Og Nord, on January 14th through Indie Recordings.

FREEDOM CALL will release a new album, Beyond, on February 24th, 2014 through SPV/Steamhammer. The 14-song album was recorded at Separate Studios in Nuremberg and the band’s own studio. It was produced by guitarist and singer Chris Bay and Stephan Ernst.


Metallian Hard

Canadian hard rock band HELIX has picked Bastard Of The Blues as the title for its next album, which is tentatively due in March. According to singer Brian Vollmer, "The CD will follow in the vein of Vagabond Bones" album.

LAKE OF TEARS will issue a live album on January 31st, 2014. By The Black Sea features 16 songs recorded earlier in 2013 in Bucharest, Romania and will be available as DVD/CD set.

QUIET RIOT has "amicably" parted ways with frontman Scott Vokoun and replaced him with LOVE/HATE man Jizzy Pearl. Pearl. The new QUIET RIOT will debut on New Year's Eve in Flagstaff, Arizona. A new album is due in 2014.

Drummer Mikkey Dee (MOTÖRHEAD), John Norum and Mic Michaeli (EUROPE), Åge Sten Nilsen (WIG WAM) and Hal Patino (KING DIAMOND) have joined forces in a new project called NORDIC BEAST. The band will play its first show on January 31st, 2014 at Rockefeller Music Hall in Oslo, Norway.

ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records has issued BLOODY DONATION's first album, Vengeance Of The Enslaved.

BATTLEROAR is at the Devasoundz Studio in Athens recording a new album, Blood Of Legends, for an April 2014 release through Cruz Del Sur Music.

Hard rock group EZ LIVIN', featuring BONFIRE guitarist Hans Ziller, has recruited former ACCEPT singer David Reece. EZ LIVIN's next album, Firestorm, will be released on February 28th, 2014 by Yesterrock.

KING'S X frontman Doug "Dug" Pinnick was hospitalized last month after the band's show in North Carolina. He requires further surgery and recovery time from his hernia. The band has cancelled its shows. Subsequently, it was revealed that the man has a problem with his lymph nodes.

OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. will make his solo debut with the release of I Am The Fire album next spring. The man has signed to Century Media Records with which he has a contractual history.

The new RIOT vocalist Todd Michael Hall (JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR) is part of a new reincarnation called RIOT V. The band is looking to issue an album through Metal Blade next summer.

GRAND MAGUS will release an album, Triumph And Power, on January 31st, 2014 through Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to last year's The Hunt was engineered by Nico Elgstrand.

CHROME DIVISION - featuring DIMMU BORGIR singer Shagrath on guitar - will release its fourth album, Infernal Rock Eternal, on January 17th, 2014 through Nuclear Blast.

LED ZEPPELIN albums will be the subject of a number of separate rereleases next year. Among the special editions and box sets will be second discs featuring unreleased music and alternate outtakes.

Bassist Olly Keller has left PARADOX and been replaced with Tommy Kittsteiner Calvanese.

Pomp rock band CYNIC will release a new album, Kindly Bent To Free Us, on February 14th, 2014 through Season Of Mist. It was recorded at Perfect Sound studios in Hollywood, California with engineer Jason Donaghy.

Former UFO bass player Pete Way has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.

After touring with VOLBEAT last year MERCYFUL FATE guitarist Hank Shermann has launched a new project called SHERMANN TANK. The group's style is described by Hermann as "metal with crushing brutality, relentless guitar attacks and vocals from the depths of hell... dark and melodically captivating."

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has picked Inferno as the title for his next solo album, which is due in early 2014 through Prosthetic Records. He had previously called the work really heavy. Guests on the record are CHILDREN OF BODOM's Alexi Laiho and Friedman's band-mate in CACOPHONY, Jason Becker.

JAKE E. LEE'S RED DRAGON CARTEL, the band of former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee, will release its debut album on January 28th through Frontiers Records. The album was recorded at Las Vegas' The Hideout Recording Studio.

ICED EARTH has recruited Jon Dette (SLAYER and TESTAMENT) for the remainder of its European tour with VOLBEAT. He replaces Raphael Saini.

Frontiers Records will release Delivering The Black, the next album from PRIMAL FEAR, on January 24th.

TESTAMENT bassist Greg Christian has been forced to leave the band's current North American tour with LAMB OF GOD and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE for the ever-popular "personal reasons." Filling in for him is EXODUS bassist Jack Gibson.

HYPOCRISY bassist Mikael Hedlund Christian has been forced to leave the band's current European tour with HEAVEN SHALL BURN for the ever-popular "personal reasons." Filling in for him is CLAWFINGER bassist André Skaug.

Pavement Entertainment has announced the signing of Montreal's hard rock band ONE. Pavement will release the band's album, Worlds Collide, on March 14th, 2014. Look for a North American tour to follow the release of the album.


Metallian Demos

LUCID SKIES - HOUNDS
This is the Canadian quartet's second EP, with a full-length to follow(?). Hounds is four songs and around 13 minutes long with a good dose of 'fuck' and other no-nonsense and angry lyrics included. The cover actually goes as far as including a sticker warning that Shotgun Mouthwash has 'fuck said 4 times', Left Hook 5 times, With Eyes 5 times and Count Me Out 2 times! If the band's name fails miserably at giving away the style of these Edmontonians then perhaps the cover and image does not. Lucid Skies are very close to pure punk, however heavy metal elements pop up here and there and make it a bit more than just 13 minutes of single riff anger. The heavy metal is perhaps closest to Pro-Pain or Biohazard. The musicianship is above average and it shows most in the rhythm and provides small deviations from the pure punk. Check them out at LucidSkies.bandcamp.com. -Anna Tergel