Metallian Heavy

KREATOR will release London Apocalypticon – Live At The Roundhouse through Nuclear Blast this year.

THE DROWNING has its album, The Radiant Dark, issued through Transcending Obscurity Records. The band specializes in death doom.

So-called groove death metal band ARISES signed a distribution agreement with Wormholedeath and issued the System album last month.

Romania-based AKRAL NECROSIS is recording a new album.

BONDED, featuring former SODOM members Bernd “Bernemann” Kost (guitar) and Markus Freiwald (drums), will release a debut album called Rest In Violence through Century Media Records in January.

Advertised as having endless blast beats, HELLEBORUS’ Saprophytic Divinations is out through Redefining Darkness Records on 06.12.2019.

INVERTED MATTER releases its debut album Detach through Lethal Scissor Records in December. The band features former SUFFOCATION drummer Mike Smith.

ABBATH and MAYHEM are touring Canada and the USA in the spring. ABBATH canceled its remaining shows on its South American tour due to illness. However, the band appeared as a trio without guitarist Ole André Farstad in Buenos Aires, Argentina to attempt to play a sow only to get through two songs before quitting.

AFTERMATH has a demo called There Is Something Wrong. It is a concept record regarding the contemporary world.

CROWBAR‘s KIRK WINDSTEIN shall release a solo album, entitled Dream In Motion, in January through eOne.

SKULLCRUSH’s Archaic Towers Of Annihilation is out through Raw Skull Recordz on the 20th of December.

NORDIC FROST’s Ov Blasphemy And Other Rites album is out through Rebel Pyro Musick now.

Black Tears Label has signed Spain-based doom death band FUNERALIA. The four-piece from Badajoz – Sevilla area will release a full-length album in 2020.

“Avant garde death bringers” THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT has a single called Connect The Goddamn Dots. THE MONOLITH DEATHCULT comments: “We’re back and weaker than ever!”

The Crawling Chaos Records is issuing the Monuments Of Bitterness album by Germany-based RAPTVRE.

Poland-based DEIVOS’ Casus Belli is out through Selfmadegod Records. The band is influenced by CRYPTOPSY.

DEFILED’s Infinite Regress is scheduled for release through Season Of Mist on January 24th.

Black metal band CHAOS PATH has a demo called Downfall.

London, UK-based black metal group TABLEAU MORT has been joined by vocalist Stefano Bassi as a replacement for previous singer James Andrews. The band is playing shows and writing for an album.

Finland-based crossover band MY FUNERAL has a demo called Graveblaster.

Germany-based death metal band MAGEFA has a new demo called New Era Of Darkness.

Austria-based VxPxOxAxAxWxAxMxC has an EP called Austrian Dukes Of Derangement through Xenokorp.

Finland-based death metal group KORPSESOTURI has signed inked a deal with Xtreem Music for the release of its next album, whose recording will take place during the first months of 2020 and is set to be released in spring or the summer.

Aldebaran is the single and video by the Italian melodic death/epic metal band GIGANTOMACHIA. The track, included in the debut album Atlas is available since 2018.

BEAST OF DAMNATION’s new album Dawn Of The Beast will be released through Black Sunset/MDD this month.

Crossover band THE END A.D. will issue Badlands on Fastball Music.

The Korporation has signed Belgium-based PESTIFER for 2020 release of a forthcoming full-length, Expanding Oblivion.

Cyprus-based MORTEM ATRA’s A Dark Lament is out through Pitch Black Records this month.

Following the successful release of a new album The Autophagous Reign, MORTUARY will embark on the first leg of The Autophagous Tour that will hit France in January.

Germany-based BATTLESWORD’s And Death Cometh Upon Us is out through Black Sunset/MDD. The band is described as melodic death metal.

Romania-based DECAY has an album called ThORnMENThORn, which is compared to SODOM, DESTRUCTION and DEICIDE.

Switzerland-based MATTERHORN is re-releasing its Crass Cleansing 2018 demo through Dying Victims Productions.

Spain-based death metal band UNBOUNDED TERROR has completed the recording process of its sophomore album, which will be released 28 years after its debut Nest Of Affliction. The new album will be entitled Faith In Chaos and will be released through Xtreem Music on January 2nd.

WATAIN guitarist Pelle Forsberg was denied entry into the USofA and the band is supporting MORBID ANGEL on the 2019 USA Sickness Tour as a quartet. According to the band the US customs did a web search of WATAIN and disapproved.


Metallian Hard

THE QUIREBOYS is touring the USA.

Long-time bassist Dennis Ward has quit PINK CREAM 69. He has not been on the road with the band recently and claims discomfort being on stage.

RUNNING WILD has uploaded a MP3 called Ride On The Wild Side in advance of the band's forthcoming EP Crossing The Blades.

Austria-based hard rock band LEGION OF BOKOR’s #Digital_Life is out soon.

USA-based LOVEMAKER opened for many famous acts and played many New York shows, but never garnered a record deal. The sleaze band’s mid ‘90s’ music is being issued through fnA Records as a self-titled CD.

The Netherlands-based FAÇADE has a demo called The Eternal Dance.

Spain-based heavy metal band ANKHARA will release its Sinergia album outside its home country through Fighter Records.

Suffolk, England-based metal combo KURSK has signed a deal with WormHoleDeath for the release of its self-titled album. It was released in late November and, according to the label, mixes NWOBHM and pagan sounds.

OZZY OSBOURNE has an album called Ordinary Man through Epic this winter. The advance single is called Under The Graveyard.

Bassist Sean McNabb has left LYNCH MOB.

Nostalgia strikes when WASP’s Blackie embarks on the 1984 To Headless world tour in 2020. The tour will show case music from WASP’s early pre-Christian albums.

MERCYFUL FATE bassist Timi Hansen has died due to cancer. Never mind the death the band will tour in 2020 with perennial bass-for-hire man Joey Vera.

RADDAR, which was active in the ‘80s, has issued its Transmission demo. The songs stems from the 1980s. The band claims influence rom MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, URIAH HEEP and TRAPEZE.

Former METAL CHURCH singer Ronny Munroe has joined ONE MACHINE.

Brazil-based IGNITED has a demo called Steelbound.

KISS has cancelled its tour of Australia reportedly due to Paul Stanley contracting the flu. The band performed without Paul Stanley from a second boat for select fans who were submerged underwater.

A reunited TRIUMPH performed for a select number of invitation-only fans at its MetalWorks studio near Toronto in November.

earMUSIC will release DEEP PURPLE's Live In Rome 2013 on December 6th. Elsewhere, DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord's Concerto For Group And Orchestra fiftieth anniversary was commemorated in Quebec City, Canada with a concert featuring the local orchestra. IRON MAIDEN’s Bruce Dickinson appeared.

Die With Your Boots On is the promotional title for a jersey collaboration between IRON MAIDEN and the English premiere league football club West Ham United. IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris is a fan of the club.

Alternative rock band ENSLAVED has re-signed with Nuclear Blast.

Claiming to combine Classical music and black metal TRINITY’s Lux Aeterna demo is out now.

If it’s too soft you are too young? LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton is conducting an acoustic tour of the UK in January.

Guitarist Amen-Ra of LORDI has released his first solo single, Stone And Stars. The solo act is called AMEN-RA'S DYNASTY.

Frontiers Music has signed ARCHON ANGEL, featuring former SAVATAGE singer Zak Stevens, to a deal. The Fallen album will be released in early 2020.

Steve Riley's version of L.A. GUNS has signed a deal with Golden Robot Records. An album is expected in the spring.

Is he a warmonger? Guitarist Kevin Estrella’s project PYRAMIDS ON MARS has a new demo being released on 21.12.2019. It is entitled Edge Of The Black.

Sicilian guitarist ANTONELLO GILIBERTO has a video for The Strategy Of Chaos taken from his homonymous album, which was published on April 30th, 2019.

Germany-based THUNDER AND LIGHTNING has a demo called Demonicorn. It was financed through a crowdfunding campaign.

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Suckers paid to see the final tour: As predicted by Metallian MÖTLEY CRÜE has reunited and will ask fans to pay. The band is reported to be touring with DEF LEPPARD and POISON in 2020. The group’s singer Vince Neil underwent hand surgery last month.

BEHEMOTH singer Adam "Nergal" Darski’s folk and blues act ME AND THAT MAN has signed a worldwide contract with Napalm Records. The deal excludes the project’s Polish homeland.

Isn’t the rise of right-wing racists itself proof that global climate chaos is real? Brains are being degraded.


Metallian Demos

CELL - ANCIENT INCANTATIONS OF XARBOS
A proper sci-fi/horror metal intro called The Rise Of Gorthar is a promising start for this sophomore full length. The Winnipeg, Canada trio - complete with face paint and skulls - were formed in 2014 and Ancient Incantations Of Xarbos comes two years after The Frozen Moon Of Erebath. Defiling The Ancient Hierarchy starts as a heavy black metal song and proceeds to speed up in true black metal fashion. The seven minutes do feature various tempos that travel between death and black and more but the metal is not lost. All I See Is Them is a good demonstration of mixing the various metal subgenres. When Hyperion and co are at full gear the result works very well. The Wailing Sea Of Emptiness proves the point further. The six minute song can claim to be complete metal and has pseudo thrashing sections too. The title track is a short intermission, it sets up God Of The Nether Realm effectively. The latter song is over eight minutes and starts with heavy riffs that change pace almost suddenly. Once again Cell creates a good mix with black metal the dominant theme. The band seems to fight the temptation to slow down or use additional instruments although an experimental sounding section appears in the midst of it all. Cell pays homage to some early ‘90s bands that took black metal into slower and doomy realms. However the latter part of the song features a speedy solo. The Valley Of Assimilation keeps it heavy and crushing. The over 10 minute’s closer is called Altering Matter In The Realm Of The Frost King, it fights off souls of one million tortured souls and begins terra forming a planet as the purported sci-fi theme is somewhat more apparent. Here the Swedish blackened death sounds combine with another long solo and thrashy minutes. The clear, loud and sharp production courtesy of Ryan Forsyth helps strengthen the impact of all instruments and vocals. cellandvoid.bandcamp.com for a metal surprise from Canada's prairies.

MESSORA - THE DOOR
Messora started as Zach Dean's solo effort in 2016 but the Montreal, Canada-based man was convinced to make it a band. This debut features one of the more unique artworks in that the cover and album art is almost exclusively made up of what could be best described as scribbles. Maya Charest has come up with something different but have Messora too? The band's bio is keen to point out that the band offer a unique mix. The first minute of the opener certainly offers several variations on its own. The title track can be called standard heavy metal at times but tries its hand at progressive and more aggressive metal. Tethered runs for 1:34 and is acoustic. The Veil is a long song where sometimes unnatural variations and breaks are inevitable. At times melodic death metal ala Amon Amarth and at other times more laid back with clean vocals and a solo or two in between too. The Falling Star is almost as long and takes a deeper dive into the progressive. The Pond takes on a slower pace and gets close to being atmospheric. The solos sprinkled around add to the progressive vibe. Untethered is another short acoustic piece and features a Maya Charest spoken word section about a temple of the lusting where senses and feelings are altered and vices live on. The nine minute closer is called The Tide and perhaps comes close to the bio stated Gojira influence. More vices at messora.bandcamp.com