EXCITER will commemorate the fortieth anniversary of its debut album, Heavy Metal Maniac, with a European tour in May and June focusing on that record’s tracks. Opening at various times are ARTILLERY, BLOOD STAR and SCREAMER. EXCITER is beginning the trek with an appearance at Up The Hammers Festival in Greece.
Japan-based DEFILED has an album called The Highest Level through Season Of Mist in late April.
NAPALM DEATH singer Mark “Barney” Greenway broke his right ankle during the band’s European tour in Munich, Germany on February 19th and has been playing concerts seated ever since. This is the second time the man damages his ankle as well.
Spain-based crossover act PNUK has released Goat Civilization, a double-CD containing its first two albums, remastered and sung in English through Rock-CD Records.
Awakening Records has the following releases: ANATHEMATISE’s Bizarre Tales From The Past And The Future. The band is based in China and the record features themes from the Shaw Brothers films. ARROGANT DESTRUKTOR’s Written In Blood From The Blade is a UK-based band with a black metal release. EVILCULT is a black metal act whose album is called The Devil is Always Looking for Souls. Poland-based PANDEMIC was founded in 2015 and has a record called Crooked Mirror. Finally, there is HELLION’s The Magic Within from the Colombia-based group.
Former ARTILLERY drummer Josua Madsen died after being hit by a bus on a dark road near his house in March. He was 45.
Guitarist Jim Durkin of DARK ANGEL died on Wednesday March 8th. He was 58. The man had missed several concerts recently. The band is marching on without him and playing several concerts performing the Darkness Descends album in full.
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES’ singer Mike Muir is releasing a solo record later this year. The material is a mishmash of different styles culled from different acts the man has been in over the years.
Finland-based DAMAGE SFP has an album called Punished By The System through Samsara Records. The band’s previous incarnation was called DAMAGE and had interest from Noise Records in the 1990s based on its 1993 demo.
HELL FREEZES OVER singer Treble Gainer was part of a session jam with Mantas of VENOM INC.and Dave Du Fort of ANGEL WITCH in Japan last month. The two visitors were part of an act called DR PHIBES ELECTRIC WIZARDS. EVIL was opening. A previous night had METALUCIFER opening for Mantas playing VENOM tracks.
Singer Jason North of TRUTH CORRODED stepped in for Sean Killian of VIO-LENCE at a concert in Melbourne, Australia on March 11th when the singer could not perform due to illness.
DIMENTIANON has a new album called Chapter VI: Burning Rebirth through Pest Records this month.
Portugal-based crossover band TESTEMUNHAS DE JEOVÁ (‘Jehovah’s Witnesses’) is a project born in September 2019 that is influenced by RDP. Selvajaria Records has issued the group’s Reino De Satã album.
No Life Til Metal Records is releasing AVENGER OF BLOOD‘s latest release, Completely Re-Annihilated. After several years of hiatus, the band reformed once again in 2020 and began re-recording its debut album using the Completely Re-Annihilated title.
Australia-based LIVEWIRE has a demo called Under Attack!. The band has a video for the song called Attack! Attack! Attack!
Season Of Mist has signed PSYGNOSIS. The France-based quartet will release an album this year.
Canadian festival LOUD AS HELL is taking place in Alberta in August. Bands appearing include JUNGLE ROT, NARCOTIC WASTELAND, INCITE, NECRONOMICON, THE CONVALESCENCE, ARRIVAL OF AUTUMN and others. This is the festival’s eleventh edition. Interested acts may go to https://www.loudashell.ca/bands.
OBITUARY has scheduled Barely-A-Live-Stream for April 22nd and April 23rd. The band will perform older favourites on April 22 and songs from the Dying Of Everything album on April 23.
The Garden is the name of HANGING GARDEN’s album through Agonia Records. It was produced by Jussi Hämäläinen (vocals and guitars) and Jarno Hänninen and mixed and mastered by the latter man at D-studio.
Germany-based NECRONOMICON has a video for the song They Lie. It is taken from the Constant To Death album, which will be released through El Puerto Records this month. It was recorded by the band and mixed and mastered by Achim Köhler.
MORBID ANGEL has recruited drummer Charlie Koryn (INCANTATION, FUNEBRARUM, etc.) for the current USA tour. REVOCATION, CRYPTA and SKELETAL REMAINS open. The band’s tour was impacted when a heavy storm in Illinois, USA made the roof of the Apollo Theater collapse between sets following Crypta’s performance. At least one person was killed and dozens were injured and hospitalised.
The Dortmund Deathfest will take place in that city in Germany in August. Bands included are KATAKLYSM, DEICIDE (special Legion album set), I AM MORBID (special Covenant album set), BLOODBATH, DEFLESHED, KRISIUN, VITAL REMAINS, BLOOD RED THRONE, BAEST and others.
Germany-based FIAT NOX’s Opium To Insidious Slumber album is out through Crawling Chaos.
Pagan project UNFELLED, featuring members of WOODS OF DESOLATION, DRUDKH and AUSTERE, has its debut full-length Pall Of Endless Perdition out through Season Of Mist’s Underground Activists imprint.
Denmark-based thrash metal band AVARICE has a single called Between The Trenches through Uprising! Records.The label is issuing the band’s self-titled record this year.
SOLITARY has announced the Thrash Domination European tour with ERADICATOR and a number of other live appearances throughout 2023 including first concerts in Ireland and Germany, as well as returning to The Netherlands where the act played dates on the Diseased Tour Of Society run back in 2017 and 2018.
CADAVERIC CREMATORIUM released an album called Zombology through Punishment 18 Records on 28.04.2023.
Norway-based NEXORUM will release a full-length called Tongue Of Thorns through Non Serviam Records in May.
ABIOTIC has a single called Ocean Of Worldly Suffering, featuring Matt Heafy of TRIVIUM, who will also produce the band’s upcoming EP this year.
TSJUDER has an album called Helvegr, which will be released through Season of Mist on June 23rd. DONARHALL had an album with the same name in 2019.
NERVOSA guitarist Prika Amaral has moved to vocals. To boot, new members are Helena Kotina on guitars, Hel Pyre on bass and Michaela Naydenova on drums. This latest line-up has uploaded a song called Endless Ambition.
Italy-based EXITIUM will be releasing its debut album, entitled Imperitous March For Abysmal Glory, through Time To Kill Records in May. The band was founded in 2021.
USA-based death metal band OLKOTH is releasing At The Eye Of Chaos through Everlasting Spew Records on May 26th. It is the group’s debut record.
PERRACIDE, the solo project of drummer Per Karlsson, is releasing its first song, Horripilation. It is issued by Emanzipation. A full-length is due this summer. Perra is on the drums, Gord Olson (ANGELBLAST and DARKENED) is on vocals and guitars, Jacob Björnfot (THE DUSKFALL and KVAEN) offers a solo and Swedish band KAZJUROL offers backing vocals.
BASTARDI PUTRIDI DI VICENZA or BPVI has a single called Epica Erotica Enotica (‘Epic Erotic feelings’) is the first single of the upcoming album Musica Pessima Per Gente Mediocre (‘Bad Music For Mediocre People’) and out through Sheep United Nations Productions.
After a ten-year hiatus, Italy-based THE END OF SIX THOUSAND YEARS has returned with a self-titled EP, which is slated for release through Hypershape Records on May 18th. The band was founded in 2004 initially, but returned from a hiatus in 2020.
Italy-based deathrash metal group EXTINCTION has an album called Cryogenesis through Punishment 18 Records.
Iron Bonehead Productions will release Martyrs by Belarus-based PA VESH EN in May.
NECROFIER will be releasing its second full-length, Burning Shadows In The Southern Night through Season Of Mist’s Underground Activists in June. The band has a video for the song Burnt By The Sacred Flame.
USA-based ABADDONIA’s debut demo Dawn Of The Serpent is out now. The band has half a dozen concerts lined up.
Horror Pain Gore Death Productions is issuing EDKH’s debut album Conspirashit. The grindcore band was formed in 2019 and features members of ORBWEAVER and HIBERNUS MORTIS.
Time To Kill Records has signed Poland-based death metal band SHODAN. The band is putting the finishing touches to the new album None Shall Prevail currently, which will be released in 2023.
PANZERCHRIST has a single called Sabbath Of The Rat through Emanzipation Productions. The band is working on a full-length.
PESTILENCE is touring South America on the Testimony Of The Ancients trek.
Piranha Pit Fest in Montreal, Canada will feature RAZOR, WHIPLASH, SKULL FIST and WARSENAL in May.