ANNIHILATOR will release a new album, called Ballistic, Sadistic, through Silver Lining Music on January 24th.

RESURRECTION MARY, featuring ALLEYCAT SCRATCH frontman Eddie Robison, release an album on FnA Records called Moon Over Babylon. Five of the ten sleaze metal tracks are produced by Tracii Guns.

Pomp rock band MAGNUM has an album called The Serpent Rings through SPV in January.

Montreal, Canada-based MESSORA has a demo called The Door.

RAGE will release an album called Wings Of Rage in January. The band has a single called Let Them Rest In Peace.

ACCEPT’s Uwe Lulis is taking a short break from the band in order to deal with his recurring injury. The band re-drafted tour guitarist Philip Shouse who will stay on following Lulis’ return making ACCEPT a three-guitar act.

On the occasion of its fiftieth anniversary JUDAS PRIEST will headline Bloodstock Open Air festival August 6-9, 2020.

CHILDREN OF BODOM has lost three members and will play a final concert with bassist Henri "Henkka T. Blacksmith" Seppälä, drummer Jaska Raatikainen and keyboardist Janne Wirman using the A Chapter Called Children Of Bodom monicker in Finland in December.

IGNITED has a demo called Steelbound.

OPETH and GRAVEYARD will tour North America in February.

ANATHEMA will commemorate the tenth anniversary of its We're Here Because We're Here album by playing the record on the road next winter.

WOLF has announced a studio album, entitled Feeding The Machine, through Century Media for March 2020. The band features Pontus Egberg (KING DIAMOND, LION'S SHARE) on bass and Johan Koleberg (HAMMERFALL and LION'S SHARE) on drums.

ANVIL will release an album called Legal At Last through AFM in the winter of 2020.

Theatrical pomp band CRADLE OF FILTH has cancelled three European and an Israeli show to instead focus on recording a new album.

An announced tour of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OBITUARY and LORD DYING has been cancelled. The bands were supposed to tour North America in December.

Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley played a free promotional show at the Nielsen Dodge car dealership in East Hanover, New Jersey on September 27th.

LORDI will release a new album, entitled Killection, through AFM Records in January.

Following a petition against SOILWORK playing in the country SOILWORK’s concert in SINGAPORE has been cancelled. The band claims that local laws disallowed singer Björn Strid bringing his medicine with him, which further limited their ability to play the country. The Sweden-based band will still play Japan and Australia.

PRETTY MAIDS has cancelled all activity following singer Ronnie Atkins announcement that he has lung cancer and has undergone surgery. Atkins is a cigarette smoker.

CREAM drummer Ginger Baker died on October 6th. He was eighty-years-old.

TELESCOPIUM is a progressive rock and metal band based in Brooklyn, New York, USA. The band has a demo called Signs Of Life.

Running from April 17 to 19 2020, Hyperspace Metal Festival will present a selection of bands from around the world. So far confirmed to play this metal festival are POWERGLOVE, IMMORTAL GUARDIAN, HELION PRIME, IRON KINGDOM and others.

Metalville Records has signed LIONHEART. The band is working on an album tentatively entitled Reality Of Miracles, which is due in mid-2020.

Decibel Books will publish a PARADISE LOST biography, called No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost, this month.

GUNS N' ROSES will co-headline next year's Lollapalooza festivals in Chile, Brazil and Argentina.

QUIET RIOT's Frankie Banali has been diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. The man and band are completing their latest album.

Yet another project: Frontiers Music has signed HER CHARIOT AWAITS, which is a new project of former SIRENIA singer Ailyn and guitarist Mike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB). An album is expected in the spring.

Belgium-based “epic symphonic metallers” CATHUBODUA has an album called Continuum, which was released through Massacre Records in October.

RUNNING WILD has an EP called Crossing The Blades next month.

Steve Harris' BRITISH LION has an album called The Burning in January.

PAUL DI’ANNO’s PHANTOMS OF THE OPERA has a live recording from 2008 called Hell Over Waltrop - Live In Germany.

R.U.S.T.X returns with a new album, called Center Of The Universe, through Pitch Black Records.

ZAUM and DOPELORD are touring Europe.

Conservatism is too slow and is therefore against the spirit of heavy metal. There are faster ways to commit suicide.

WAR GODS OF THE DEEP - ACTION SPACE BATTLE
The debut album by the self-proclaimed purveyors of "new wave of American heavy metal power-pock" is almost certainly the most elaborate and expensive offering to arrive at Metallian Towers. CD, stickers, trading cards, pins and of course the CD, all in a printed box. The gods are certainly delivering. This American quartet looks to be drawing inspiration from what could be termed hard rock and heavy rock. The band are not always serious, as evidence witness the band's video for Life Coach that features various characters borrowed liberally from Sesame Street. The ten songs start with Transmission, the song is a reminder of some of the hard rock songs that may have been heard in the 90s. It doesn't stray too far from a single pace. Sons Of The Serpent features a faster pace and can be considered heavier. Life Coach is dominated with the advice and humour transmitted through its lyrics, musically it is basic rock or hard rock. Beautiful Oblivion is somewhat catchy, low key and also tilts towards the grungy side. The Machine is almost 11 minutes long, the early 90s vibe is present and it does feel almost doomy in sections. The long minutes are more effective than might be expected. Brief sci-fi effects start Done, the song seems louder than the preceding. Light Of The Soul is reminiscent of commercially successful hard rock songs of the past. Burn The Misery starts with a - made up, of course - radio DJ introducing the band and the song as a kick ass heavy rocking love song. One Of Us presents the heavier side of Action Space Battle. Horizon is the closing song, it is again more laid back. No expense spared for this one. Go to www.wargodsofthedeep.com for more sci-fi imagery than any communicated through the songs. – Anna Tergel

TALES OF THE TOMB – VOLUME TWO: MENDACIUM
Volume Two: Mendacium is a six-song EP. Volume One: Morpras, also an EP, was released back in 2015. This two man band from Edmonton, Canada draw inspiration from Macabre and other US death metal bands and are naturally fascinated with hidden secrets, murder tales and conspiracies. The cover art does give the latter theme away better than most. Aliens are the theme of the opener, The Nightmare Hall. Faul deals with a supposed conspiracy that Paul McCartney is actually dead. Sinful Messiah starts with a conversation where one tells the other 'Jesus is coming back? did he forget something?', the reply has the other saying that he is coming back for the armageddon. Dyatlov Pass Incident is about the disappearance and mystery surrounding nine people who died while on trek in the old Soviet Union in the 50s. Nine Eleven's theme is self-explanatory. Mermaid In A Manhole is a bonus track and is about a controversial Japanese horror film based on manga work, it ends with a Japanese audio clip. Musically the duo of Corey Skerlak and Tres Thomas (and friends) do Cannibal Corpse and American death metal well and do not disappoint. The six songs are all no frills and deliver the expected. Death metal riffs and vocals abound, occasional solos add something extra. Dive into the conspiracies and lies at talesofthetomb.bandcamp.com – Anna Tergel