Metal veteran brothers Sakis and Themis Tolis of the Greek metal legends ROTTING CHRIST have been bestowed the immortal honor of having a newly discovered fossil species named after them! Two researchers from the Natural History Museum in Luxembourg, Dr. Ben Thuy and and Dr. Lea Numberger, recently found a new brittle-star species and decided to name it “Brezinacantha Tolis” in honor of the Tolis brothers.
Sakis Tolis comments, “My deepest thanks to the paleontological community, and especially to Dr. Ben Thuy and Dr. Lea Numberger, to name a fossil under my name! This is one of the greatest honors I have received as an individual and musician and gives me power to keep on creating during these wild times. Brezinacantha Tolis can be found in the Natural History Museum in Maastricht. If you are close have a look!”
Dr. Ben Thuy and Dr. Lea Numberger explain the inspiration behind the fossil name: “When we first saw the fossil brittle star, we immediately knew it was something exciting. It turned out to be a species new to science, and so we had the privilege to name it. With the choice of the name, we wanted to combine our joint passions for science and music, and decided to honour one of our favourite bands. The new fossil belongs to an animal that lived in a dark, toxic environment in the depths of an ancient ocean, dwelling on the remains of their dead predecessors. This is pure black metal! Naming this species after Sakis and Themis Tolis is our way to issue an academic recognition of their talent and hard work. Now they own a small piece of immortality, because scientific species names are for eternity.”
More info on the discovery and its etymology can be found HERE.
Moreover, this is not the only exciting news the band has for this years! ROTTING CHRIST has recently announced their collaboration with the creators of the PS4 game “Mortal Shell,” which featured the band’s epic track “Χ Ξ Σ (666)” in the official trailer! The game is set for worldwide release on August 18. The trailer can be seen at THIS LOCATION.
For more info on the game, visit the official website HERE!
It’s not ROTTING CHRIST‘s first encounter with the gaming industry. Last month, the band was discovered on a poster in the game ‘The Last of Us Part 2’ along with label mates HORRENDOUS!
ROTTING CHRIST’s critically-acclaimed record, ‘The Heretics,’ was released in early 2019 and can be ordered, downloaded, and streamed HERE.
Cape Fear metal legends WEEDEATER have announced a virtual 360° performance on September 25 @ 8:00 P.M. EDT! The band will be joined by ASG and TOKE as part of the Reggie’s Relief Fundraiser to benefit Wilmington, NC’s Reggie’s 42nd Street Tavern and venue, which has been closed since March. You can pre-order tickets for the stream and watch the trailer HERE. Fans may also donate via Venmo (Venmo@Reggies-Merch).
Artwork by Brian Mercer
All of WEEDEATER‘s albums are now available at fine record stores nationwide and online at the WEEDEATER Bandcamp page.
WEEDEATER was formed by front-man/bassist “Dixie” Dave Collins. Following the release of their 2001 debut ‘…And Justice For Y’All’, WEEDEATER immediately established themselves as a force in the U.S. tour circuit and quickly gained notoriety in the American metal scene. In the time since, the band have released three critically-acclaimed albums: ‘Sixteen Tons’ (2002), ‘God Luck And Good Speed’ (2007), and ‘Jason… The Dragon’ (2011), and toured around the world with the likes of DOWN, SAINT VITUS, HIGH ON FIRE, and THE MELVINS, HANK III, EARTH, SUNN O))) and more. The band has played prestigious festivals such as Maryland Deathfest, Hopscotch Festival, Stoned From The Underground, Asymmetry Festival, Roadburn Festival, Hellfest, and many more.
Dark singer-songwriter act THE DEVIL’S TRADE is now streaming a brand new live video for the highly emotional track ‘Dead Sister’, taken from the album ‘The Call of the Iron Peak’. The video was recorded during the very special release show of the one man’s act in Budapest (HU) last month. You can now watch the video via the official Season of Mist YouTube channel HERE.
THE DEVIL’S TRADE comment on the video: “After a seven months long hiatus in playing live especially in these times of uncertainty and resignation stepping on a stage was such a moving experience! I know I am amongst the luckiest musicians to have the chance to do what I love the most and can’t thank enough the people who made this possible. The venue Dürer kert is one of the last independent underground facilities in Hungary that is home for so many musicians and music lovers since 2008. It is now the next victim of the greed of our government. Not only do we have all these beautiful memories of the concerts of the bands we admire or our own shows but a few hundred bands had their rehearsal places and studios here. Both of the last two The Devil’s Trade albums got recorded here. This place was a shelter for us but we have to move out and the venue has a hopeless future too. The release show of ‘The Call Of The Iron Peak’ was the last one for me there.”
‘Dead Sister’ is taken from THE DEVIL’S TRADE‘s freshly released album ‘The Call of the Iron Peak’, which was released on August 28, 2020 and can be listened to in full HERE.
THE DEVIL’S TRADE earlier announced the rescheduled dates for the previously canceled tour with DARKHER and FORNDOM. A full list of confirmed dates can be found below.
ACCEPT are back! The German kingpins of heavy metal will release new single ‘The Undertaker’ on October 2nd 2020 via Nuclear Blast, accompanied by a brilliant video. The track is the first insight into their new studio album. More details will be revealed on this in due course.
The single will be a 2-track featuring a previously unreleased live version of ‘Life´s A Bitch’ recorded in Oulu, Finland in 2019. It will be released digitally as well as via limited edition 7“ Vinyl in three colours, each limited to 300 copies. Colours are gold, white-marbled for Europe and red for the US.
‘The Undertaker’ is a catchy mid-tempo number with an eerie build that seeps into your skull, accompanied by stirring vocals from front man Mark Tornillo. According to Wolf Hoffmann, the piece is one of the most notable and brilliant pieces on the upcoming album. The track is sure to deliver some memorable live moments!
The single and album were recorded in Nashville, USA. At the mixing desk was once again British master producer Andy Sneap (Judas Priest, Megadeth etc.) who has been responsible for the magnificent studio sound of ACCEPT since 2010.
WALTER TROUT will release his new studio album ‘Ordinary Madness’ on August 28th, via Provogue Records.
Watch the new video for ‘Heartland’ here:
Walter Trout on the song: “Heartland is a song about summoning the courage to follow your dreams. It’s the story of a young girl but she could be anyone who has come to a crossroads in their life .She realizes that to follow her dream to make more of her life, requires stepping out alone, into the vast unknown. It’s about taking the great gamble.”
For Walter Trout, there is no ‘us’ and ‘them’. Across his five-decade career, the great US bluesman’s music has always been a lifeline and call-to-arms, reminding listeners they are not alone. Now, as the world seeks solace from a tragedy that has touched us all, he comes armed with a boundary-exploring new studio album and eleven searingly honest songs that bring his fans even closer. “There’s a lot of extraordinary madness going on right now,” considers Trout, of the COVID-19 crisis. “This album started because I was dealing with the flaws and weakness inside me. But it ended up being about everyone.”
Ordinary Madness was completed mere days before the US shutdown, its cathartic songcraft and themes of shared troubles couldn’t chime better with a period in which our souls and spirits are under fire from tumultuous global events.
‘Ordinary Madness’ Tracklist: Ordinary Madness Wanna Dance My Foolish Pride Heartland All Out Of Tears Final Curtain Call Heaven In Your Eyes The Sun Is Going Down Make It Right Up Above My Sky OK Boomer
Ordinary Madness will be released on August 28th, via Provogue Records. Pre-order the album here: http://smarturl.it/walter-trout
ELLEFSON the eponymous solo band of Grammy-Winning Megadeth bassist/co-founder David Ellefson has announced the tentative tracklisting for NO COVER, out 10/2 on Combat Records, featuring 17+ cover songs including classic tracks from Motorhead, WASP, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Queen, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, Fastway, Fight, Dead Kennedys, and more, with cover art by Melody Myers (Ellefson, Altitudes and Attitude, Escape The Fate), an homage to the legendary Def Leppard debut On Through The Night.
Ellefson have also released the first single, an updated interpretation of the ON THROUGH THE NIGHT classic “Wasted”, featuring Frank Hannon (Tesla), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars, Lynam), and Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), which premiered this week on the nationally syndicated radio show Nights With Alice Cooper.
Hear “WASTED” here:
ELLEFSON, featuring Ellefson on bass, Vocalist Thom Hazaert, Guitarists Andy Martongelli and Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal (Sons of Apollo, Yes, Ex-Guns N’ Roses), and drummer Paolo Caridi, will be joined by a laundry list of legendary guests including Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister), Dave Lombardo (ex-Slayer, Suicidal Tendencies), Brandon Yeagley (Crobot), Dirk Verbeuren (Megadeth), Frank Hannon and Troy Lucketta (Tesla), Mark Slaughter, Jason McMaster (Dangerous Toys, ex-Watchtower, Evil United), Greg Handevidt (Kublai Khan, Ex-Megadeth), Chuck Behler (Ex-Megadeth), Gus G, John Aquilino (Icon), Doro Pesch, Dave McClain (Sacred Reich, Ex-Machine Head), Dave Alvin (White Trash), Todd Kerns (Slash & The Conspirators), Andrew Freeman (Last In Line), Jacob Bunton (Mick Mars), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Russ Parrish (Fight, Steel Panther), Dead By Wednesday, and more TBA.
Tracklist: 1. Freewheel Burning (Judas Priest) ft. Jason McMaster, Gus G, Andy James, Dave McClain 2. Tear It Loose (Twisted Sister) ft. Eddie Ojeda, Dave McClain 3. Love Me Like A Reptile (Motorhead) ft. Doro Pesch, Greg Handevidt, Chuck Behler 4. Holiday in Cambodia (Dead Kennedys) ft. Charlie Benante 5. Rebel Yell (Billy Idol) 6. Wasted (Def Leppard) ft. Frank Hannon, Jacob Bunton, Dave McClain, Bumblefoot 7. Riff Raff (AC/DC) ft. Jason McMaster, Dave Lombardo 8. Nailed To The Gun (Fight) ft. Andrew Freeman, Russ Parrish, Jimmy DeGrasso 9. Not Fragile (Bachman-Turner Overdrive) ft. John Aquilino 10. Say What You Will (Fastway) ft. Troy Lucketta, Mark Slaughter 11. LOVE Machine (W.A.S.P.) ft. Dirk Verbeuren, Dave Alvin 12. Love Hurts (Nazareth) ft. Brandon Yeagley, Chuck Behler, Tyson Leslie 13. Sheer Heart Attack (Queen) ft. Bumblefoot, Doro Pesch, Charlie Benante 14. Sweet FA (Sweet) ft. Todd Kerns, Bumblefoot, Shani Kimelman 15. TBA 16. TBA 17. Auf Wiedersehen (Cheap Trick) ft. Al Jourgensen, Brandon Yeagley, Charlie Benante
Bonus Tracks 18. Eat The Rich (Krokus) ft. Dead By Wednesday
Produced by Ellefson and Hazaert, with guitarist Andy Martongelli, and engineers Alessio Garavello, Matt LaPlant (Nonpoint, Lil’ Jon, Skindred), and John Aquilino, and mixed by Alessio Garavello, Randy Burns, and more, Ellefson describes the process as a collaborative tribute, and a loving homage, to some of his favorite artists.
You can pre-order exclusive merchandise, experiences, and gear via Indiegogo at bit.ly/ellefsonnocoverigg
“Before any of us started writing our own songs, we all began playing cover songs by our heroes during our formative years as musicians. So, it’s fun to go back in time and revisit those songs which helped us to become the artists we are today, when, ironically, many of those artists have now become peers and friends.”
He continues, “A lot of our buddies have been playing covers and quarantine jams on the Internet during the pandemic, so this was really just an extension of that, but we took it the next level and actually recorded a full studio album. We’ve been working remotely anyway, as we’re all over the Globe, so it was easy to incorporate some guests jumping in with some outstanding performances of their own. It’s been a really fun nod to making great music with our friends, which is the whole reason we got into this in the first place!”
Says vocalist, and co-producer, Hazaert, “It’s all songs and artists that really mutually influenced both myself and David, especially a lot of early “Metal” and harder Classic Rock. Some stuff I picked, some stuff he picked, but for the most part is was all artists that we both loved.”
He adds, “And we were able to work in a lot of nods to David’s history, getting Chuck Behler to play with us, bringing in original Megadeth guitarist Greg Handevidt to play on “Love Me Like A Reptile”, a song they used to play in cover bands together before they moved to LA (which we wrote about in MORE LIFE WITH DETH). These are literally all of my favorite bands, and as a vocalist, these are literally artists and songs I’ve covered all my life, so, it’s truly an honor to put together something so fun, and really as effortless as this was. It truly is a love letter to Rock N’ Roll.”
2019 saw the release of Ellefson’s MORE LIFE WITH DETH Memoir, co-written with Hazaert, which led to the pair collaborating on the Ellefson compilation release Sleeping Giants, featuring Hazaert on several new tracks, alongside guest appearances by Thal, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Mark Tremonti, Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth), Kristian Nairn (Game of Thrones), Dave McClain (Sacred Reich), Eric AK (Flotsam and Jetsam), John Bush (Armored Saint) and more, which spawned the Metal radio hit “Hammer (Comes Down)”, which spent several weeks in rotation, as well as landing in the “Devil’s Dozen” Top 12, on Sirius XM Liquid Metal.
Ellefson and Hazaert (DE and TH) followed up the release of Sleeping Giants with an extensive US and European Tour dubbed MORE LIVE WITH DETH, with Hatchet guitarist Clayton Cagle, as well as Flotsam and Jetsam’s Steve Conley, stepping in on second guitar in the US, including several now legendary shows featuring Megadeth alumni Chuck Behler and Chris Poland.
They also performed on Megadeth’s MEGACRUISE, where they, along with Opus, Sharpe, and Cagle, performed a special Megadeth MEGA-JAM set, as a tribute to Dave Mustaine, with guests including Megadeth’s Kiko Loureiro and Dirk Verbeuren.
Ellefson and Hazaert also participated in another noted highlight of the MEGACRUISE, coordinating an all-star KISS jam, which, in addition to Ellefson, featured Frank Bello, Charlie Benante, and Scott Ian of Anthrax, Clayton Cagle of Hatchet, plus members of Hellyeah, Butcher Babies, Queensryche, Suicidal Tendencies, and more, where Hazaert shared vocal duties on “God of Thunder” with Chuck Billy of Testament, and “God Gave Rock And Roll To You” with the legendary Doro Pesch, as well as participating in the epic finale of “Rock And Roll All Nite.”
The European MORE LIVE WITH DETH tour saw the permanent addition of guitarist Andy Martongelli and drummer Paolo Caridi into the recording lineup, as well as the return of Bumblefoot to the fold, and ELLEFSON was born. March 2020 brought the release of the hit single “Simple Truth”, which was premiered on SiriusXM by Eddie Trunk, followed in May by the release of their re-imagined Post Malone cover “Over Now”, both of which garnered national airplay, (peaking in the top 20 on the Billboard secondary Rock charts), garnering spins and coverage on nationally syndicated radio outlets like HARD DRIVE, NIGHTS WITH ALICE COOPER, and FULL METAL JACKIE, and press outlets including Rolling Stone, Alternative Press, NME, Loudwire, ABC Newsradio, Metal Hammer, Loudersound, Consequence of Sound, and many more.
ELLEFSON is set to tentatively release their debut full length studio LP in Spring 2021.
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Kimmo Kuusniemi’s ASA unveil the long-overdue release of "Collective Failure" + first music video for title-track! Check it out and stay tuned for more news! Click image to watch the video
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
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Visionary artist KIMMO KUUSNIEMI's ANCIENT STREAMING ASSEMBLY (ASA) have released “Aurora Nuclearis”, a powerful 12-minute audiovisual experience, dedicated to the Late Keyboardist Esa Kotilainen. - Click image to watch the video
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 