American Spellbound Tour to Kick Off July 4th MILAN, ITALY – Italy’s greatest musical export, LACUNA COIL, will make their triumphant return to North America on July 4th embarking on a five-week headlining trek with Kill Hannah, Seventh Void and Dommin. The much anticipated tour also marks the group’s first headliner of North America in […]

The much anticipated second album from Delain is finally here! Originally conceived by ex-Within Temptation keyboardist Martijn Westerholt as an all-star studio project, the success of the debut album Lucidity tipped his hand and Delain evolved into a full blown active band. With Charlotte Wessels on vocals, Ronald Landa on guitar and grunt vocals, Sun […]

Los Angeles, California’s We Are The End has inked a deal with Metal Blade Records! A relatively new addition to the SoCal scene, the band came together in June of 2008 with the timely meeting of Brandyn Love and Shaun-Matthew Paramore, and the eventual addition of vocalist, Spencer Aragon, guitarist Mychal Wright, and drummer David […]

It would be easy for me to simply cut and paste my review Obituary’s real comeback album, 2007s Xecutioner’s Return considering this has the same sort of throwback glorious artwork, sense of album ranging classic Obituary riffage, Ralph Santolla’s leads and oppressive, murky production that made Xecutioner’s Return so good. Ultimately that’s what most of […]

Formed by members of the decidedly non death metal act Ananda (and other hardcore acts), Carmina is the full of death metal assault and only the second release on fledgling Rewolucja Records (owned by Carmina bassist Bif), and it’s a pretty scorching little EP. Clocking in at 25 minutes, the 7 no nonsense songs that […]

Listenable recording artists SYBREED to tour America beginning July 17th!!!  In anticipation for their forthcoming The Pulse of Awakening, due for domestic release this fall through Listenable Records, Swiss industrial-metallers SYBREED will be embarking on a month-long, nationwide tour alongside THREAT SIGNAL, THE AUTUMN OFFERING, and THE AGONIST. Here are the confirmed dates/venues thus far: […]

So here is the first and last album from Amesoeurs, another genre pushing French act featuring Neige from Alcest and Peste Noire fame, and if you enjoy Alcest’s gentler take on black metal as well as the current trend of organic artistic black metal like Wolves In The Throne Room, Fen and Altar of Plagues, […]

Finland’s heavy metal superstars CHILDREN OF BODOM will return to North America this fall to headline a massive, month-long tour. The award-winning band, which features front man and world-renowned guitar hero Alexi Laiho, will launch the tour on Friday, September 18 at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, RI. Presented by ESP Guitars and Spinefarm Records […]

Canada’s Aeternam has joined the Metal Blade roster! Formed in 2007 in Quebec City, Aeternam has been preparing to unleash their very own brand of epic death metal upon the world. Combining classic death metal songwriting with epic melodic soloing and middle-eastern influences, Aeternam has fine-tuned its craft and made it into a perfect blend […]

I was only recently introduced to Ireland’s Primordial by way of 2005s The Gathering Wilderness and 2007s To the Nameless Dead, and only in the last month or so have I had a chance to go back and check out the Candlelight reissues of 2000s Spirit the Earth Aflame and 2002s Storm Before Calm. However, […]

I like what Tribunal records has done recently; Asecretdeath’s impressive debut, re-releasing Inferi’s solid 2009 self released debut then re-issuing two of 2008s better self released efforts; Iron Thrones’ brilliant Visions of Light, and the self titled debut EP from this young but immensely talented Denver, Colorado quartet. Though only 4 songs and 18 minutes in length, […]

Independent Band Plans to Set the World of Music on Fire HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – Independent Goth Rock/Metal up-and-comers, Ellsbeth, have finally released their first studio album “Well Dressed Killing Machine” on ITunes. The album, which came out on April 1st, was co/produced by Chris Spilfogel (Dreamgirls, Hairspray), as well as Ellsbeth’s guitarist, Sean Lacefield. “Well […]

My only previous exposure to this grinding Swedish trio was their 2007 split with Relevant Few, and I immediately thought the likes of Gadget and Rotten Sound finally had some competition to be Nasum’s heir apparent. Now I have not heard the full length debut Svarta Dagar, so I can’t compare Vid Helvetets Grindar, but […]

Arkaea has premiered their first video LOCUST from their debut album YEARS IN THE DARKNESS Saturday night, 6/20 on MTV’s Head Bangers Ball. If you missed the premier take a look here http://headbangersblog.mtv.com/2009/06/18/video-premiere-arkaea-locust   “LOCUST was our first pick for a music video and as the opening track for the album because it really sets the […]

British thrash masters EVILE are ready to reveal to the world their brand new album, INFECTED NATIONS, which is due to be released on September 21st in Europe and on September 22nd in the USA. Following EVILE’s 2007 debut, ENTER THE GRAVE – an homage to the thrash of past – the band are now […]

One only need look at the Jon Baizley-ish artwork, the Scott Hull mastering and the label to have a guess as to the style of this solid full length debut from this Florida duo: droning, psychedelic, doomy post rock styled sludge cut from the same cloth as Deadbird, Rwake, Samothrace, Minsk and such. While hardly […]

If These Trees Could Talk return with their long awaited full length album “Above the Earth, Below the Sky.” Recorded during the summer of 2008 under the watchful eye of Tim Gerak (6P7), the album is a dark emotional journey that picks up where the debut EP left off. With the roots of the album […]

Highly respected Japanese doom metal band CHURCH OF MISERY will release its long-awaited new album Houses of the Unholy in North America on July 7 via Rise Above Records. First formed in 1996 by bassist Tatsu Mikami and guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura, the Tokyo-based band’s formidable sound melds early-era Black Sabbath style doom with powerful psychedelic […]

Death metal icons MASTER will play Philadelphia’s Hostile City Death Fest to be held on July 4-5, 2009 at The Arena. MASTER will perform on July 5, 2009 with the likes of Absu, Total Fucking Destruction, Kult ov Azazel, and Ibex Moon artists GOREAPHOBIA. Ibex Moon label mates DREAMING DEAD will perform on July 4 […]

Once I heard that Amorphis’ ninth album once again delved into Finnish folk literature a la the legendary Elegy as well as Eclipse (Skyforger, like Eclipse is based on the Kalevala poems, this time focusing on Ilmarinen, one of the central characters), I had my hopes pretty high. Even more so when you consider that […]

There’s nothing more juicy than a good old FATTOOTH! as the Montreal punk/metal thrashers announce their “Natural Disaster” North American Tour that will see them cross eight Canadian provinces, nine American states and 28 cities. “I hope the riot squads in these cities are ready for some testosterone fueled rock n’ roll! It’s a punch […]

Rampaging Oakland, CA metal quartet SAVIOURS have entered San Francisco’s Lucky Cat Recording Studios with Producer Phil Manley (of Trans Am / The Fucking Champs) to begin work on the follow up to its critically acclaimed sophomore LP Into Abaddon. Set for an October 13, 2009 release date, the as-yet-untitled SAVIOURS album is said to […]

Translation Loss Records is extremely pleased to announce the signing of San Francisco’s GIANT SQUID. Translation Loss Records will release The Ichthyologist this summer in correlation with the bands summer tour alongside label mates GRAYCEON (*TL has a Giant Squid / Grayceon split planned for 2010). Engineered, mixed and produced by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Pearl […]

I literally knew nothing about this Nevada band before seeing this suddenly appear in Metal Blade’s digital promo site, apparently their second full length album – no press hype from Metal Blade, no other inklings about the style or substance of the band before I pressed play. And when I did press play I was […]

Ibex Moon Records is pleased to announce the licensing of Asphyx’s Death…The Brutal Way from Century Media Records Germany for distribution in the United States. Death…The Brutal Way will be released in the US on September 1, 2009. The legendary Dutch death metal act reunited in 2007, playing several shows, releasing a 7″ EP in […]