"Someone To Hate", a brand new song from US metalcore outfit Demon Hunter, is now streaming online at the band's Facebook page. The song is taken from their upcoming new album, True Defiance, out on April 10th via Solid State Records. More album details were previously reported here.

Read more ››

Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Demon Hunter

Original news, posted on 10.01.2010

Official press release

Demon Hunter will release The World Is A Thorn on March 9, 2010 in-stores and online.

The band's fifth album follows the landmark documentary 45 Days, last year's Live In Nashville collection and a catalog of landmark albums that have made the band one of the most important in the genre.

The World Is A Thorn was produced by the band's longtime collaborator Aaron Sprinkle (Acceptance, Anberlin, The Almost) and mixed by powerhouse producer Jason Suecof (All That Remains, Trivium). It's a pairing emblematic of how skillfully Demon Hunter has always blended metallic might with melody.

It's a well-worn cliche these days for a band to say their new album is "our heaviest but also our most melodic," but Demon Hunter delivers in spades with this release. Songs like "Descending Upon Us," "Lifewar" and the title track are by far the most aggressive of the band's career, "This is the Line" and "Collapsing" are a couple of the fist-pumping but still hard-driving anthems and "Driving Nails" is one of two ballads on the album the likes of which their fans have come to both expect and cherish.

The album formally introduces guitarists Patrick Judge (who joined the band as a touring guitarist in 2008 and is now a full-time member) and Ryan Helm (of The Ascendicate) with a new batch of songs written by co-founder and vocalist Ryan Clark. Yogi Watts returns with another jaw-dropping drum performance, backed up by longtime bass player Jonathan Dunn. The World Is A Thorn is a definitive mission statement from a band at a creative apex, firing on all cylinders with awe-inspiring intensity.

"The album title refers to the often harmful and destructive world that we live in," explains Clark. "Most of the songs deal with the current state of the nation and the world as a whole. In particular, the lyrics take aim at the ideals of a Godless people and the depletion of our morals and values."

Demon Hunter has always been a Christian band and has represented their point of view strongly, despite the larger trend of watered down philosophies that straddle the line for popularity's sake. This stance has won them respect from fellow believers and opposite points of view alike.

"In this age it has seemingly become more and more detestable to be a Christian," Clark elaborates. "Our opinions on social and political issues are no longer tolerated as valid and we are commonly viewed as the enemy. Subjective truth, self-love, unrestricted perversion, the destruction of morality: these are the things that have ultimately brought us to a place of depression and madness.

Read more ››

Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Demon Hunter

Original news, posted on 09.05.2009

"A Rite Of Passage", the new video from US metallers Dream Theater, has been made available online.

"A Rite Of Passage" comes off the band's forthcoming album, entitled Black Clouds & Silver Linings, which is scheduled for release on June 23 via Roadrunner Records.

UPDATE

"Wither", the new video from US metallers Dream Theater, has been made available online.

"Wither" comes off the band's latest album, Black Clouds & Silver Linings, which was released on June this year via Roadrunner Records.


Read more ››

Source:	blogs.myspace.com
Band profile:	Dream Theater

Ambient/Trip Hop/Progressive Metal band O.S.I. will release their third album "Blood" April 27th in Europe and May 19th in North America. The project of Kevin Moore (ex-Dream Theater/Croma Key) and Jim Matheos (Fates Warning) will this time around be teaming up with special guests Gavin Harrison (Porcupine Tree) on drums and Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opeth) contributing vocals/lyrics on "Stockholm".

"Blood" tracklist:

01. The Escape Artist
02. Terminal
03. False Start
04. We Come Undone
05. Radiologue
06. Be The Hero
07. Microburst Alert
08. Stockholm
09. Blood

Special Edition 2nd CD tracklist:

01. No Celebrations - vocals/lyrics by Tim Bowness
02. Christian Brothers - cover of the Elliott Smith song
03. Terminal (endless) - extended version of the regular CD track

Samples can be found on http://www.osiband.com.

Read more ››

Source:

osiband.com

Progressive metal veterans Dream Theater have announced "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" as the title of their tenth studio album. The band commenced work on the album - their second for Roadrunner Records, following up 2007's "Systematic Chaos" - in October of last year.

Roadrunner will release the record on June 23. In addition to the standard version CD, the album will also be available on vinyl LP, as well as a 3-disc Special Edition CD that will include the full album, a CD of instrumental mixes of the album and a CD of six cover songs, the titles of which will be revealed at a later date.

Six weeks prior to the June 23 street date, Roadrunner will release one cover song per week through digital retailers.

Drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci are once again at the helm as producers, while Paul Northfield mixed the record.

The band will embark on a world tour in support of the album beginning in Europe throughout June which will be followed by the second edition of the band's Progressive Nation tour featuring Zappa Plays Zappa, Pain Of Salvation and Beardfish throughout North America in July/August.

A video for the first single, "A Rite of Passage" will be shot in late March.

The track listing for "Black Clouds & Silver Linings" cover artwork] is as follows:

01. A Nightmare To Remember
02. A Rite Of Passage
03. Wither
04. The Shattered Fortress
05. The Best Of Times
06. The Count Of Tuscany

Read more ››

Source:	dreamtheater.net
Band profile:	Dream Theater

British heavy rock legends, Iron Maiden, in association with Banger Productions, EMI Records, Universal (USA) and Arts Alliance Media, announce that they will be releasing a feature length documentary film into cinemas worldwide on April 21st 2009.

As you may know from Rod's tour diaries, Iron Maiden have been working on a feature length documentary. Entitled "Iron Maiden: Flight 666", the movie follows the band on the first leg of their Somewhere Back In Time World Tour in February and March of 2008 as they experienced the most ambitious and adventurous tour in rock history, and will be released in April 2009 in association with EMI Records and Universal in the USA.

The Maiden tour plan was something that had never been attempted before on such a grand scale. Circumnavigating the globe, the band flew in a specially customised Boeing 757 airliner with their crew and 12 tons of music and stage equipment on board, playing 23 sold out stadium and arena shows in 13 countries in just 45 days, travelling 70,000km and performing to almost half a million fans.

The band were accompanied everywhere by award-winning documentary makers Banger Productions from Toronto in Canada, who have received international critical acclaim for their previous movies "Metal, A Headbangers Journey" and recently "Global Metal". Filmmakers Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn and their team bring an intimate behind the scenes view of this remarkable journey, with a close look at the logistics involved and following Team Maiden in the cockpit, on the plane and on and offstage, getting to the heart of this global adventure of a band that has very rarely even let cameras backstage before.

Shot in High Definition and with superb 5.1 surround sound, mixed by the bands producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley, Flight 666 brings to the screen all the drama, excitement and hysteria that followed the band around the world every time "Ed Force One" touched down in a new country. The film documents the intensity of the punishing show schedules, the struggle with the time zones, the pressures of ensuring that every performance matched the energy of the many thousands of ecstatic and expectant fans from many cultural backgrounds, unusual angles from the spectacular shows... and of course the fun had on the way!.

Iron Maiden: Flight 666 is an honest and revealing portrait of one of the worlds most successful rock bands and a must-see for all Maiden fans.

A special international "Iron Maiden" day is being planned for 21st April with simultaneous showings of "Iron Maiden: Flight 666" in selected Digital cinemas around the world - we will of course bring you more information on this nearer the time.

Read more ››

Source:	ironmaiden.com
Band profile:	Iron Maiden

Killswitch Engage have a new video online. According to Roadrunner Records, apparently, this video's got it all. If it's metal, it's in there. Mosh pits, beer chugging, ridiculous backstage antics, and of course, the insanely amazing performing skills of Killswitch Engage. Go here to check out their new video for "This Is Absolution". The song comes from the band's latest album "As Daylight Dies", which was already released 2 years ago.

Read more ››

Source:	roadrunnerrecords.com
Band profile:	Killswitch Engage

Metallica have issued the following update:

"While we're finishing up the new album, we told the dudes at the record company we thought it might be cool to dust off the old tapes and get all retro with some vinyl re-releases... First up are the first two albums (duh!?), "Kill 'Em All" and "Ride The Lightning," coming out on April 15 in North America and pretty fucking close to that in the rest of the world.

There will be two versions... one like the original on a single disc spinning at 33 1/3, the other a two disc, 180 gram vinyl, 45 rpm package all in a double gatefold. The music was half speed mastered from the original analog tapes at Mobile Fidelity to bring you audiophile quality.

Both versions will be available in the online store here and over at Met Club. Oh, and in case you were wondering, "Master" and "Justice" will obviously be next and should be coming out on vinyl in June."

Source:	metallica.com
Band profile:	Metallica

Living Sacrifice has returned. Founding members Bruce Fitzhugh (Vocals / Guitar) and Lance Garvin (Drums) have reunited with Rocky Gray (lead guitar) and Arthur Green (bass). See a new band pic here. The band will be on tour this summer and we are already writing material for our brand new album, which will be released in 2008. All info on http://www.myspace.com/livingsacrifice.

Read more ››

Source:	livingsacrifice.com
Band profile:	Living Sacrifice

Progressive metallers Dream Theater have posted the following on their website:

After recently celebrating the band's 20-year anniversary, Dream Theater returns with its first-ever best-of collection. Spanning 1991-2005, the two-disc set contains rare single edits, B-sides and a trio of new remixes that spotlight that band's nonpareil musicianship, complex arrangements and amazing songwriting. Dream Theater's Greatest Hit (...& 21 other pretty cool songs) will be available from Rhino on April 1 at all physical retail outlets for a suggested retail price of $19.98 and at all digital retail outlets for a suggested retail price of $12.99.

Referring to Dream Theater's first and only major radio hit, "Pull Me Under," the compilation's tongue-in-cheek title is a testament not only to the band's sense of humor but also highlights the acclaimed New York-based quintet's ability to make music and cultivate a legion of fans on its own terms, without help from radio or MTV. The collection features more than two hours of progressive hard rock from James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar/vocals), Mike Portnoy (drums/vocals) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards).

The collection contains three newly remixed versions of tracks from Dream Theater's breakout 1992 album, Images And Words: the aforementioned "Pull Me Under" as well as "Take The Time" and "Another Day." Portnoy says this album presented the perfect opportunity to give the songs a bit of a facelift. "The original mixes always sounded a bit '80s' to me, so we had our good friend and longtime mixer Kevin Shirley give the tracks a bit of an update to sound more like the rest of the Dream Theater catalog. The songs remain the same (no pun intended-Kevin just mixed that album as well), but there are little nuances in the tracks that I forgot were originally there, and it's very cool to hear them again."

The collection's 22 songs are split evenly between two discs, which are divided into "The Dark Side" (the metallic) and "The Light Side" (the melodic). Filled with some of the band's most sinister sounds, the first disc lives up to the billing of "The Dark Side." Longtime fans will appreciate the abundance of alternative versions of classic tracks, including single edits of "Lie," "Home," and "Misunderstood." Disc One concludes with two tracks from the band's 2005 album Octavarium: "The Root Of All Evil" and "Sacrificed Sons."

Read more ››

Source:	dreamtheater.net
Band profile:	Dream Theater