Vic Records will re-issue CROMM CRUAC’s Senecio CD this month.

AGALLOCH is continuing to tour in support of The Serpent & The Sphere album, which is released last year through Profound Lore. The band is touring the USA using the monicker Serpens In Cvlmination Western Hemisphere Tour MMXV.

Minnesota-based medieval metal outfit OBSEQUIAE is issuing its album Aria Of Vernal Tombs through 20 Buck Spin.

Swedish hard rockers DEGREED will release an album, called Dead But Not Forgotten, on June 19th through Sun Hill Production. The band features Swedish Idol finalist Robin Ericsson on vocals.

Former HANOI ROCKS singer Michael Monroe will release a new album, called Blackout States, on October 16th through Spinefarm Records.

SAXON has picked Battering Ram as the title for its next album, which is due in the autumn through UDR Music. The phrase “battering ram" is featured in JUDAS PRIEST’s song Rapid Fire. SAXON is promising a heavy album.

SOILWORK will issue its next album, The Ride Majestic, on August 28th through Nuclear Blast. The album was recorded by David Castillo who has worked with alt rockers OPETH in the past.

STRYPER has lined up a new white metal album, called fallen, for this autumn.

Guitarist Roope Latvala has left CHILDREN OF BODOM. The band has recruited Antti Wirman, the brother of the group’s keyboardist Janne Wirman, to play second guitar at upcoming shows.

D-A-D was forced to cease its open-air concert on Friday May 29th in Aarhus, Denmark after a mere fifteen minutes following bassist Stig Pedersen slipping on a wet stage following the rainy conditions. He has broken his arm.

U.D.O. will release a DVD/2CD called Navy Metal Night on July 31st through AFM. In February 2014, U.D.O. played a show with the German navy orchestra (Marinemusikkorps Nordsee).

BLACK SABBATH members Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler were on stage with their former drummer Bill Ward to accept a lifetime achievement award. Ward and the rest of the band have been at odds since the drummer was excluded from the reunion.

On May 17th seven AT-6 Texans of the Condor Squadron flew above Los Encinos State Historic Park in Encino, California in honour of Ronnie James Dio on the fifth anniversary of his death.

Mallcore bands COAL CHAMBER and FEAR FACTORY are touring North America this summer. DEVIL YOU KNOW will open. FEAR FACTORY has picked Genexus as the title for its next album, which is out on August 7th through Nuclear Blast’s mallcore sub-label, Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Late 1980s and early 1990s’ LOUDNESS singer Michael Vescera is rejoining his former band for a concert at October’s Loud Park festival in Japan. Using the monicker SOLDIER OF FORTUNE, the Japanese band will play songs from Vescera's time in that band. Minoru Niihara remains the band’s singer.

GIRLSCHOOL has unearthed two vintage recordings for release. London 1980 and Glasgow 1982 are being released before the group’s new album Guilty As Sin, which will be released later this summer through UDR Music. An EP, called Propaganda!, is also out soon.

JOE SATRIANI will release his next album, entitled Shockwave Supernova, on July 24th. The day is Friday, Global Release Day, which is designed to give music a simultaneous international release date.

GLENN HUGHES will tour Europe in September and October. The tour will feature material from all his previous bands including DEEP PURPLE, TRAPEZE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION and CALIFORNIA BREED as well as solo material.

BULLETBOYS have a new album called Elefanté. It is out on June 9th through Cleopatra/Deadline.

Riki Rachtman's Cathouse is organizing an ‘80s glam festival at Irvine Meadows in California on Saturday, August 15th at Irvine Meadows Amphitheater. Bands appearing include TUFF, PRETTY BOY FLOYD, DOKKEN, FASTER PUSSYCAT, EXTREME and more.

RUSH has kicked off its R40 Live 40th-anniversary tour as of May 8th in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The Canadian band’s tour features no opening band.

Bassist Craig Gruber died on Tuesday May 5th at the age of 63 due to prostate cancer. Gruber was a member of ELF, RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH.

BLIND GUARDIAN and GRAVE DIGGER will tour North America in October and November.

A self-over compilation of SAVATAGE called Return To Wacken is out this month through earMUSIC. The band now calls itself “progressive metal” and playing a reunion show at Wacken this year.

THE SPECIAL GUESTS, a new project featuring POISON members C.C. DeVille (guitar), Bobby Dall (bass) and drummer Rikki Rockett (drums), which also features singer/rhythm guitarist Brandon Gibbs (CHEAP THRILL, DEVIL CITY ANGELS, etc.), will play at the Metal May-hem on Friday, May 29th at the Ava Amphitheatre at Casino Del Sol in Tucson, Arizona. Rockett was also in DEVIL CITY ANGELS. POISON singer Bret Michaels is focusing on his solo act including country music.

DOGHOUSE SWINE - FEARLESS
That is an interesting specimen, isn't it? A Doghouse Swine. Naturally, the New Jersey band has opened for Mucky Pup, but that aside what is the music like? Think Ramones' punk mixed with hard rocking gritty guitars backed by a rhythm section that keeps bobbing forward no matter what. When given the chance the bass shines through on its own. One hears the fine distortion on the bass on Out Of Time or the opening tune, which doubles as the title track for the six-tracker. A favourite track would be Born In A Hole, which starts with a patented Motorhead riff and rocks from there. The singer has a wail of a voice, which is often deployed to non-rhyming lyrics. Speaking of which, the band has a few things to say. They are not socially conscious. They are opinionated and amusing. To get this short and to-the-point demo simply head to http://www.doghouseswine.com or e-mail press@tinderboxmusic.com. - Ali "The Metallian"

RIKSHA – DREAM DROPS RED
Riksha is the story of what could have been.
Here is a full-length by Salt Lake City, Utah-based band that is legitimately slamming and aggressive. The sharp guitar sound and the respectable fast leads are often accompanied by pounding drums. The sound is clear, yet not soft and a compliment to its producer. What else could one want? That the band does not include limp-wristed, commercial and weak clean vocals that are only evocative of a love making session by two men. While here at Metallian Towers we have absolutely nothing against homosexuality at the same time we do not consume gay culture and, among other things, do not watch gay porn. So why would we/any straight metal fan want these emotional and oh-so-sensitive clean chants in his or her music? The sound of two men getting sweet on each other during a love-making session is all over this disc. The band evidently cannot sustain its speed and heaviness. What is more the ‘cold shower effect’ is exacerbated with mallcore breakdowns and clean singing backing chants. Later on the disc a metal fan also encounters slow songs with acoustic parts as well. It is normally easy to dismiss such trendy mallcore bands that are influenced by crap like Fear Factory, HedPE or whatever. It is regrettable here because Riksha can destroy with its sharp and powerful metal attack when and if it wanted to. One last thing. Listen to the song Play Your Suffer and not only you will hear the potential of the band, but also a straightforward rip off of the main riff on Death Angel’s Bored. Is that The Doors being covered on this disc as well? Ah, who cares? Here is the website and the contact e-mail: http://www.rikshaband.com/ riksha@comcast.net. – Ali “The Metallian”

MISCONDUCTERS – BOUNDLESS
Misconducters has a cool name and a sound not heard often, but that does not mean all is in order on their platform. The Brazilian band has put together a sharp guitar sound that often sounds like Voivod's Piggy has gone punk with the congruently thin sound to go with it. The drummer can keep a beat, but has the tendency to run away with the sticks for a good roll every so often too.
On a song-by-song basis The Game is mid-paced, which represents most of the album, although it does awkwardly speed up at times. For example, listen to Class Of ‘84. Voivod is heard again on both Hunter And Prey and Lurch – and the whole CD is comprised of seven tracks. There is some nifty riffing on #the title track, which again is interesting but one gets the feeling that it all does not lead to much of a song! One could say that the same applies to several other cuts here. Again, the music is fun and powerful listening (take song six’s heavy riff) but the tracks’ structure requires some editing to develop into a song. All in all the trio has its own thing going on which is cool. Find the band here http://www.misconducters.com/ – Ali “The Metallian”

TRIPOD - NEVERMIND THIS BLACK ALBUM
This Norwegian quartet's debut was originally released in 2008. The band has had two albums since. There are 2012's Four Coins which "was released in China, as well as Norway" and another in 2014. Since the 2014 album remains unnamed on the accompanying bio or information provided it is easy to believe the self-described ‘stoner metal’ tag! The 11 songs here are with few exceptions very clearly grunge however. Every song has a toned-down minimalist, sad and angry structure typical of Pearl Jam or numerous other bands of the genre. Lyrics and song titles like Times Have Changed, My Time, Cold, Rain, Distant and others convey the same feel. The vocals of Knut Arne Lillestøl do the style justice as well. The aforementioned exceptions to the grunge make an appearance on Cold and The Dream. The acoustic Rain would have been received well on MTV in the ‘90s and perhaps later too. Contact the band at www.myspace.com/tripodnorway. – Anna Tergel