Posted: July 04, 2009 at 11:41 (PST)

The cover artwork for 3 INCHES OF BLOOD's brand new album, "Here Waits Thy Doom", has been revealed. It is scheduled to be released in Europe on August 31 and in North America on September 8 through Century Media. Here is the complete track listing:

01. Battles And Brotherhood
02. Rock In Hell
03. Silent Killer
04. Fierce Defender
05. Preachers Daughter
06. Call Of The Hammer
07. Snake Fighter
08. At The Foot Of The Great Glacier
09. All Of Them Witches
10. 12:34
11. Execution Tank

Covers (to be released as b-sides and/or bonus tracks):

12. Not Fragile (BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE)
13. Cities on Flame (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT)
14. Daytona (ZEKE)

Cam Pipes (vocals) previously explained the bands decision process when picking out what songs to pay homage to:

"We decided to cover Not Fragile by BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE because they're a Canadian band and we wanted to represent our Canadian musical roots. BTO had many hits, but we wanted to do a deeper cut from their catalog, plus 'Not Fragile' has a heavy driving riff at the core of the song which we felt translated well with our style.

BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's 'Cities On Flame With Rock And Roll' is a song that our guitarist Justin had played the main riff to at soundcheck for a few years now and I guess it just got stuck in our heads, so we decided to learn it and record it.

We've also been friends with Zeke for many years and 'Daytona' has always been a favorite Zeke song of ours. It's another one we've loosely jammed out in the rehearsal space and soundchecks before. It's a rare, slow Zeke song, which is good because we'd probably butcher one of their fast songs."

Guitarist Shane Clark stated: "Our new album is finished and we've named it 'Here Waits Thy Doom'. Much like our last record it is a step beyond the album that precedes it. We've again taken what we do a step further and not made 'Fire Up The Blades' part 2, we've stuck to our formula - no formula. We are true Metal fans and we've made an unapologetic Metal record. I think this our most focused record to date, from writing all the way to mixing there was no unnecessary drama or too many cooks in the kitchen. This is 3 INCHES OF BLOOD at its most punishing, epic and mighty."

Posted: July 04, 2009 at 11:17 (PST)

Check out a video of LYNCH MOB guitarist George Lynch (ex-DOKKEN) building his own guitars at ESP head office in North Hollywood, CA.

LYNCH MOB's new album, "Smoke And Mirrors", is slated for release sometime later in the summer.

Posted: July 04, 2009 at 10:55 (PST)

Swedish death metallers VICIOUS ART have checked in with this message:

"Time for our second update this year... dammit. Well, the truth is that we have had almost a half year off to concentrate on other stuff. But now we are back and we are hungry!!

We have started to write new material and it is going very, very well. It sounds as vicious as never before! Our plan is to have enough songs ready at the end of the year to start recording our next record.

We have now sold out our debut album, 'Fire Falls And The Waiting Waters', but you can probably buy it through Threeman.net.

Ok, hopefully we got more news for you in the near future!"

Posted: July 04, 2009 at 10:51 (PST)

LACUNA COIL's new video for the track "I Like It" is now online. Check it out.

The track comes from the band's latest album, "Shallow Life", out now on Century Media.

Posted: July 04, 2009 at 10:47 (PST)

METALEATER scribe Philip A. Wickstrand sat down with SUFFOCATION vocalist Frank Mullen for a conversation on July 2, 2009 at the Roseland Theater in Portland, OR.

METALEATER: How's the tour been for you so far?

Frank Mullen: "Good. We pretty much toured on the East Coast and worked our way down towards the bottom, head out Southwest and everything and here we are in Portland. Show's have been pretty good, nice turnouts and everything and it's been going good."

METALEATER: Any shows that have stood out in particular for you?

Frank Mullen: "I'd have to say Denver was sick, San Diego was probably the best one so far and then L.A. was sick, that whole area - California's always good, Dallas was a good show, so those are the ones that pretty much stick out."

METALEATER: Have there been any disappointments for you so far?

Frank Mullen: "Not really any disappointments. We played a few off shows that were okay. We played a show somewhere, I think it was in Columbus, Ohio or something and nobody really knew about it, all of that, but that was an off-date for the tour and everything, but most of the Summer Slaughter shows have been good."

METALEATER: Tell us a bit about the new album, "Blood Oath".

Frank Mullen: "'Blood Oath' is gonna come out July 14. What 'Blood Oath' represents, we took an oath to Death Metal twenty years ago that we would just continue to put out brutal music and we wouldn't change from the style that we've been doing for the last twenty years. Production-wise, I think it's the best sounding album we've done and we put a lot of time into it, so it's a sick album."

METALEATER: What are your favorite tracks off of it?

Frank Mullen: "I'd have to say I like 'Come Hell Or High Priest', 'Dismal Dream', 'Images Of Purgatory' are pretty cool, so those are the ones I like."

METALEATER: This is your first album for Nuclear Blast - how have they been to you so far?

Frank Mullen: "They've been good. I mean, they've been treating us really well. They're putting a lot of promotion behind it, really pushing a lot of different things, you know, different ideas that none of the other labels really came up with, so some new ideas that we're working with, certain packs that they're putting together for the release of the album and everything. So we're very happy right now."

METALEATER: Going back to the tour, how did you pick out your setlist for the Summer Slaughter Tour, since you're playing a shorter set than you would headlining?

Frank Mullen: "I kind of looked at it like, this is kind of the twenty year anniversary of SUFFOCATION. We kind of just wanted to stick with 'Effigy' songs since that was the first album that we put out and then new songs, so that's pretty much the makeup of the set this time around. Obviously, when we come back out, things will change the next time, but for this tour, that was the idea that we came up with."

METALEATER: Is there anything else you'd like to add?

Frank Mullen: "Just stay brutal and we'll see you guys again and look for 'Blood Oath' July 14."

Posted: July 03, 2009 at 14:49 (PST)

MEGADETH's brand new album, "Endgame", will be released on September 15 through Roadrunner Records. Here is the complete track listing:

01. Dialectic Chaos
02. This Day We Fight!
03. 44 Minutes
04. 1,320
05. Bite The Hand That Feeds
06. Bodies Left Behind
07. Endgame
08. The Hardest Part Of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss
09. Headcrusher
10. How the Story Ends
11. Nothing Left To Lose

Posted: July 03, 2009 at 12:27 (PST)

German Metal queen DORO, ex-SCORPIONS master guitarist Uli Jon Roth and Power Metal titans BRAINSTORM have been added to the roster at the Monterrey Metal Fest IV that is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, September 16, 2009 (Mexican Independence Day holiday) at the Santa Lucia Arena in the city of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico.

The confirmed band line-up:

CHILDREN OF BODOM (Finland) (Headliner)
DORO (Germany)
ULI JON ROTH (Germany)
SAMAEL (Switzerland)
AMORPHIS (Finland)
WHIPLASH (United States)
ATHEIST (United States)
BRAINSTORM (Germany)
STRAVAGANZZA (Spain)
MALIGNO (Mexico)

One more band will be announced in the coming days which will complete the festival line-up.

Only 3,000 VIP tickets will be sold for the new redesigned Metal festival.

Posted: July 03, 2009 at 12:22 (PST)

Singaporean metallers RUDRA have recruited a new guitarist.

Bassist/vocalist Kathir comments: "It is with great pleasure that I am announcing the entry of our new guitarist, Vinod. He isn't someone new to RUDRA or the Singaporean Metal scene. Vinod has played in many bands before and has been known to us for almost 8 years. We are looking forward to writing the new album and touring with him."

Vinod states: "It is truly an honour to be chosen and be part of RUDRA, a pioneer Metal band. The first extreme Metal band I listened to that inspired me and made me believe it is possible for local Singaporeans to start a band and be successful. I've known the members for a while. And now being in the band, I'm excited to work with them. Thus looking forward to contribute my part in the upcoming albums."

Posted: July 03, 2009 at 12:19 (PST)

MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover has posted this message on his MySpace page:

"So now I have had a chance to reflect a bit on the Canadian Carnage shows we just did in Western Canada with SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD and SUICIDE SILENCE, and I do have to say that I believe it all went over extremely well. The crowds were awesome for all four shows and all the bands played really great. I did get the chance to pretty much talk to everybody or at least exchange a pleasant 'Hello' with all involved with the tour. From what I witnessed, the overall vibe was very good. All in all a good experience for me.

My Drum clinic is slated for this coming Thursday, July 9 - 7PM, at Seminole Music and Sound in Seminole, Florida. SeminolemMusic.com for more info. I am pretty excited about this clinic, so if you are anywhere in close range, pop on over and say hi. I think you may like which drum kit I will be using, believe me.

In other news, a rare video clip of Drover performing with Canadian veterans INFERNAL MAJESTY back in 1988 has been posted online. Check it out.

Posted: July 03, 2009 at 12:10 (PST)

Earache Records has sent METALEATER this press release:

Canadian Heavy Metal heroes CAULDRON are set to support Swedish Heavy Metal act WOLF on a UK tour later this year. Catch CAULDRON and WOLF at the following shows:

Oct. 9 - London, UK - The Underworld
Oct. 10 - Leeds, UK - Rio's
Oct. 11 - Glasgow, Scotland - Ivory Blacks
Oct. 13 - Newcastle, UK - Trillians
Oct. 14 - Manchester, UK - Moho
Oct. 15 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
Oct. 16 - Dudley, UK - JB's

CAULDRON recently took part in an interview with legendary NWOBHM pioneer Neal Kay.

At the beginning of the NWOBHM movement, Neal Kay owned a rock club called "Neal Kay's Heavy Metal Soundhouse" and also had use of a recording studio, in which he allowed new bands at the time to cut demos. Many of the bands on the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal scene played at the Soundhouse and recorded with Neal Kay, including the now legendary IRON MAIDEN.

With traditional Heavy Metal now making a comeback, Neal Kay invited CAULDRON, one of the bands leading the charge, to take part in an interview. Check out video footage of the interview: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

CAULDRON's debut album, "Chained To The Nite", is available now worldwide.

Posted: July 02, 2009 at 15:39 (PST)

Metal Mind Productions has sent METALEATER this press release:

What do you get when you combine thrilling Power Metal with a genuine progressive approach? ALKEMYST knows the answer. Their amazing LP "Meeting In The Mist" holds all the key elements that add up for a truly memorable album. This exclusive re-edition of ALKEMYST's debut opus brings back one of the most exciting releases ever to emerge on the French Metal scene!

The band was originally formed in the eastern part of France in 1992 under the name ENDLESS. The founding members were two guitarists - Séverin Bonneville and Arnaud Ménard. After completing the line-up with bassist Denis Mellion and drummer Arnaud Gorbaty, the group (now as ALKEMYST) begun shaping their musical style and in 1998 they released their first demo, "From Depths to Light". A second demo followed in 1999, bearing the title "A Path to Heaven". Thanks to these two releases, ALKEMYST caught the attention of numerous record labels, which finally lead to signing a contract with the famous Nuclear Blast Records. With a new signer on board - Ramon Messina - ALKEMYST begun working on their debut offering… After some production hassles, the band finally managed to release "Meeting In The Mist" on June 30, 2003.

The album starts slowly with the symphonic, instrumental intro "Spells & Elixirs" and then immediately attacks the listener with the speedy and melodic track "Still Alive". This song pretty much sums up the band's musical style, offering a brilliant mixture of old-school Power Metal in the likes of MANOWAR, BLIND GUARDIAN, or HELLOWEEN, and passages typical for the Prog Metal genre. Other highlights on the LP include "It's Time", "Hold On To Your Dreams", "Passage" and "Empty Skies". But perhaps the most memorable track on the entire album is "Nameless Son", a 12-minute epic juggernaut which ends the LP. The album received critical acclaim all over the world and soon became one of the most respected releases on the French Metal scene.

"Meeting In The Mist" is still considered a masterpiece and brilliantly combines all the best elements of both power and prog Metal genres. So feel free to take a walk inside the mist… who knows what secrets it holds?

Metal Mind Productions will re-release the album on July 27 in Europe and September 8 in the USA (via MVD). New digipak edition includes three bonus tracks and is limited to 1000 copies. Digitally remastered using 24-Bit process on a golden disc.

Here is the complete track listing:

01. Spells & Elixirs
02. Still Alive
03. It's Time
04. Up To Heaven's Gate
05. Hold On To Your Dreams
06. A Meeting In The Mist
07. Passage
08. Empty Skies
09. Nameless Son: Chapter I: The Awakening
10. Chapter II: The Falling Star
Chapter III: Visions And Doubt

Bonus tracks:

11. A Meeting In The Mist (Radio Edit)
12. A Meeting In The Mist - Live 2004
13. Empty Skies - Live 2004

Posted: July 02, 2009 at 13:10 (PST)

METALEATER has received this press release:

Hot on the heels of their blistering US headlining tour Damnation Vacation with UNEARTH and LAZARUS AD, Thrash gods TESTAMENT now hit Europe hard on a huge summer run throughout Europe, where they'll be playing the Metalcamp, Wacken Open Air, and the Brutal Assault festivals. The tour kicks off in Holland on July 2 and concludes August 8 in Belgium. The band has been touring non-stop in support of their award-winning album, Golden God Album of the Year award, "The Formation Of Damnation", including this year's "Priest Feast" tour in Europe with JUDAS PRIEST earlier this year and a phenomenal run on the "Metal Masters" tour last summer with HEAVEN & HELL and MOTÖRHEAD.

Upon their return in August, the band will be making a stop in NYC for a special taping of SIRIUS XM's Artist Confidential series. Artist Confidential features the most important and timeless artists in music sitting down for candid interviews, intimate conversations with fans and live performances.

For a complete list of the band's upcoming tour dates, visit their MySpace page.

Posted: July 02, 2009 at 13:06 (PST)

Some video footage of RATT performing live last Sunday (June 28) at the Stars & Stripes Festival in Mount Clemens, MI has been posted online. Check it out: Video 1, Video 2

As reported earlier on METALEATER, RATT are currently recording their new studio album, their first in over 10 years.

Posted: July 02, 2009 at 13:00 (PST)

Chilean death metallers THORNAFIRE will be releasing their new album, "Vorex Deconstrucción" [view cover], this month Ibex Moon Records. Here is the complete track listing:

01. Hacia La Ruina Del Agartha
02. Sucubación
03. Deconstrucción
04. Otredad
05. Confesión
06. En El Eon De Las Falacias
07. Por El Delirio
08. Conflagracóin Del Monoteismo
09. De La Destrucción Al Trono

For more information on the band visit their MySpace page.

Posted: July 02, 2009 at 12:48 (PST)

METALEATER has received this press release:

Award-winning Glendale, AZ heavy music powerhouse JOB FOR A COWBOY has completed work on its hotly-anticipated sophomore album, entitled "Ruination". The record will see a July 7, 2009 North American release date via Metal Blade Records.

Music fans can check out "Ruination" for themselves in advance of the record's release as the album is available for online streaming its entirety today at MySpace.

Additionally, "Ruination"'s cover art and full color booklet have also been made available for viewing at this location. The striking, quasi-conceptual motif was designed by Brent Elliott White and takes its inspiration from JOB FOR A COWBOY front man Jonny Davy's album lyrics and concepts. Topics addressed by the album's schema revolve around modern day worldwide dilemmas and controversial issues including "Propaganda in the main stream media and television, humanitarian rights of Northern Korea, the modern genocidal government of Nubia, the use of torture in American military tactics, overruling by world governments and Police states / Martial law".

JOB FOR A COWBOY's "Ruination" is available for pre-order now. A special JOB FOR A COWBOY "pre-order contest" has just been announced whereby fans can win tickets to see the band on tour with SLAYER this summer as part of the "Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival". Fans will also have the chance to score signed JOB FOR A COWBOY musical equipment, merch and more. There are two ways to enter: 1.) by providing proof of purchase of the new album from one of your favorite online media stores (i.e. iTunes, Hot Topic), or by mail. For full contest and entry details, simply visit here.

JOB FOR A COWBOY features frontman Jonny Davy, guitarists Bobby Thompson and Al Glassman, bassist Brent Riggs and drummer Jon "The Charn" Rice.