Highly acclaimed metal vocalist Tony Harnell, the voice of Norwegian metal band TNT, will be Inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame on-stage at the M3 Festival, on May 7, 2022, in Columbia, MD.
Tony Harnell rooted his legacy in Hard Rock and Heavy Metal as the vocalist for TNT. His vocals can be found on fan favorites such as “Seven Seas,” “Everyone’s a Star,” and “10,000 Lovers (In One)“, with the 2 later songs having been in rotation on MTV. He has also fronted the bands Westworld, and Starbreaker, along with his own solo projects “The Mercury Train,” and “The Wildflowers featuring Bumblefoot.” Harnell was also featured in the “Sonic the Hedgehog” video game series for SEGA.
“It’s is no surprise that fans and the Nominating Committee are Inducting one of the greatest Hard Rock and Metal Vocalists of our time, Tony Harnell, into the 2022 Metal Hall of Fame,” says Metal Hall of Fame President/CEO Pat Gesualdo.
“I’m honored and humbled to be Inducted into the Metal Hall of Fame, and to even be thought of alongside so many of the Hall’s great artists,” Says Tony Harnell. “And thank you to the Metal Hall of Fame for the amazing charity work that you do.”
May 20th 2022 will see the release of “Earthtorn“, the highly anticipated new studio album by Sayreville, New Jersey -based melodic doom metallers DRIFT INTO BLACK. After the release of the first single “It Fell From The Sky“, the band has shared a brand new lyric video for the track “Weight of Two Worlds”.
Drift Into Black‘s upcoming concept album “Earthtorn” flows continuously, telling the story of the extinction of humankind seen through the eyes of an extraterrestrial visitor disguised as a human sent to mother earth to analyze our behavior and eventually deplete us of all our natural resources. He learns about our past and our experiences of war sickness. Love, loss, and death, he falls in love with a woman and is torn between his selfishness for her. He begins to question his willingness to carry out his mission. He gets to watch as his love slowly falls victim to the disease and starts to wither away. Day by day, she grows sicker and eventually passes away from cancer. His experience of love, sickness, loss, and death is for real now. He realizes that there is nothing good left on Earth throughout all the darkness. He informs his planet that there is nothing to be retained here on Earth and that he will be returning home, leaving the human race to its slow decay.
“Earthtorn” will be coming out on May 20th and is available for pre-order HERE
Tracklist:
1.Good Mourning Earth 2.It Fell From The Sky 3.The March To Oblivion 4.Angel Of Doom 5.Ghost On The Shore 6.The Ups And The Downs 7.Weight Of Two Worlds 8.Left To The Burning Sun 9.On Borrowed Time 10.Mankind
Metal Massacre Volume One Limited-Edition Vinyl Out Now – Drops Teaser to METAL BLADE RECORDS Documentary – Releases 1990’s Exclusive METAL BLADE RECORDS Playlist – Worldwide Events All Year Long
“So as we enter our 40th year it is pretty crazy to think about that. The first thing I thought of was reissuing the first Metal Massacre album. I thought it would be difficult to get the rights etc.. it ended up being one of the easiest things as all the bands were super cool and now hopefully you got a copy! We’re still planning some cool shows and parties for this year so stay tuned for those! It’s been pretty overwhelming with all the stuff that’s happened so far and its certainly amazing —just all the things that have happened in the last 40 years and I thank all the people we have worked with over the years! And of course all of you out there for helping make this happen!!” – Founder Metal Blade Records Brian Slagel
Marking its 40tth anniversary this year, METAL BLADE RECORDS is proud to present its debut release, Metal Massacre Volume One, for the first time since 1984 on limited-edition vinyl. Originally released on June 14, 1982, Metal Massacre showcased the best of Los Angeles’ unsigned acts of the time such as METALLICA, RATT and MALICE, and has since become a cornerstone of METAL BLADE RECORDS. This special release dropped worldwide on April 22, 2022 at finer retail stores everywhere.
Check out the teaser for the upcoming METAL BLADE RECORDS documentary. See interviews with the original Metal Massacre artists here:
This 40 anniversary reissue track list includes all songs originally featured on the first and second pressing of the iconic compilation and limited-edition Ruby Red vinyl variant will be available with only 5000 copies total in print, available at: metalblade.com/40thanniversary and 2,000 copies pressed on clear vinyl (SOLD- OUT) exclusively at metallica.com.
Founder Brian Slagel celebrates with this special re-issue which marks the first of many METAL BLADE RECORDS activities happening across the world to celebrate the labels 40th year as a pioneer and champion of heavy music.
The METAL BLADE MUSEUM will open its doors in Las Vegas later this year where fans can see memorabilia and artifacts dating back to the label’s inception.
Until more events are announced, head to METAL BLADE RECORDS and stream special curated 80’s and 90’s-inspired playlists, personally selected by Brian Slagel. These released playlists are an aural journey into METAL BLADE RECORDS first and second decades… The newly dropped 1990’s playlist is a listeners time-capsule into the diversity of the eclectic mix of ’90s modern rock and some of the most extreme heavy metal released in that time. This decadent decade features a prime line-up of METAL BLADE RECORDS‘ arsenal of bands – some of the hard hitters on this killer playlist is death metal behemoths BROKEN HOPE and icons CANNIBAL CORPSE, metal soldiers ARMORED SAINT, technical wizards ANACRUSIS and obscure metallurgists ARTCH… even commercial rock giants GOO GOO DOLLS – let your ears feast on this official METAL BLADE RECORDS 1990’s Playlist!
ABOUT METAL MASSACRE: At the brink of the 80’s, LA was cementing itself as the rock ‘n’ roll nucleus of the United States. A longtime fan of the local rock scene, Slagel spent many nights inside LA’s locales seeking out the most authentic, heaviest, unique bands to hit the West Coast. Alongside friend John Kornarens, the two split the Metal Massacre project in half – Slagel responsible for artwork and mastering facilities, while Kornarens secured a studio to make the record. “We were using the Yellow Pages a lot, total amateurs navigating the record like a high school project,” adds Kornarens. And that compilation was the foundation of Slagel’s METAL BLADE RECORDS, one of the premiere heavy metal record labels of all-time.
The first pressing of Metal Massacre contained 10 tracks, with the closer “Hit The Lights” by METALLICA. This was the first song drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist James Hetfield wrote together. “When I was putting together the compilation, he called me up,” Slagel recalls of his conversation with a teenage Ulrich. “He was jamming with James and a couple other guys in their garage playing covers of DIAMOND HEAD and everything. Lars asked me, ‘Hey, if I put together a band and give you an original song, will you put it on the record?’ And I said, ‘Sure, of course.’ So that was basically the beginning of METALLICA.“
“On the day of mastering, Brian and I had all of the songs ready except for Lars’ new band called METALLICA,” Kornarens explains. “The session was to start at 3 o’clock and we were standing on a Hollywood sidewalk waiting for Lars to show up with material from his new band, and moments later he finally arrived and pulled a cassette out of his back pocket.“
Future installments of the Metal Massacre franchise would help boost SLAYER, OVERKILL, POSSESSED and countless other artists to legendary status. METAL BLADE RECORDS, home to current acts AMON AMARTH, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, ALLEGAEON, CANNIBAL CORPSE and WHITECHAPEL, is still considered one of the most powerful forces of modern heavy metal.
Metal Massacre Volume I Track Listing 2022 Re-Issue:
SIDE ONE: 1 – STEELER – “COLD DAY IN HELL” 2 – BITCH – “LIVE FOR THE WHIP” 3 – MALICE – “CAPTIVE OF LIGHT” 4 – RATT – “TELL THE WORLD” 5 – AVATAR – “OCTAVE”
SIDE TWO: 1 – BLACK ‘N BLUE – “CHAINS AROUND HEAVEN” 2 – CIRITH UNGOL – “DEATH OF THE SUN” 3 – DEMON FLIGHT – “DEAD OF THE NIGHT” 4 – PANDEMONIUM – “FIGHTING BACKWARDS” 5 – MALICE – “KICK YOU DOWN” 6 – METALLICA – “HIT THE LIGHTS”
On July 29th, extreme metal masters ARCH ENEMY will unleash their 11th studio album, Deceivers, via Century Media Records. For fans that can’t wait for the record’s release, the band is now offering a new 7″, Sunset Over The Empire (due out May 20th) – with the title track also appearing on Deceivers.
Arch Enemy‘s founder and chief songwriter Michael Amott comments: “I am thrilled that we are releasing our next single ‘Sunset over the Empire’ not only digitally everywhere as usual, but also as a physical 7″ vinyl record. I’m a big fan of the vinyl format myself and I think this killer looking 7″ will be a nice collector’s item as it’s a limited run. The B-side is an instrumental we’ve never released before on a record, and the A-side is one of my fave tracks off our new upcoming album ‘Deceivers‘!”
Pre-order Sunset Over The Empire now. – where the 7″ is available in the following versions: –white vinyl (limited to 1000 copies; available via CM Distro Europe) –transparent orange vinyl (limited to 500 copies; band exclusive)
Upon the release of their new album, “Dystopia”, CALIBAN have a positive message to share with their new video for “Alien”: “This track goes out to everyone. Because everyone is special. Sometimes we’re getting lost on our way and feel like strangers, but also feel home everywhere we are. We shouldn’t be afraid to explore the unknown.”
Yet again they have teamed up with Witzki Visions for another cinematic treat. The clip for “Alien” is now availabe. Watch HERE
The approach to “Dystopia” was instinctive and organic. The result was simply darker and heavier. A state of the world address and a sign of these locked-down times. The band members worked in relative isolation, not being able to meet up for writing sessions. Ideas were passed around via the internet. Yet, the anxiety and angst they were all feeling came through. Hence the opening line of the album title track and war-cry: “Welcome Dystopia – Come show me who you are!” Amidst the anger and sonic wreckage, there’s still a ghost of hopefulness as the band searches for identity, solidarity and ultimately rising from dystopian ashes.
“Dystopia” was produced by Benjamin Richter (Moonspell, Emil Bulls) and guitarist Marc Görtz as well as co-produced by Callan Orr (Dream On, Dreamer), The eye-catching artwork was crafted by the creative team of Season Zero that already did “Zeitgeister”.
Luca Donini, aka LU SILVER, the musician and songwriter from Rimini, Italy, is proud to present his brand new single “All My Fault”. Also known for his activities with Italian hard rockers The Lu Silver String Band, May 6th will see the release of Lu Silver‘s upcoming sophomore & intimate acoustic solo album via Go Down Records.
Lu Silver comments:
“Saying goodbye takes a moment, but later you may look back and relive past scenes with detachment. In this song I wondered if I should blame myself for how things turned out.“
The title of Lu Silver‘s upcoming album is a personal interpretation of the word “loneliness”. The idea is by artist and singer-songwriter Conny Ochs, Lu’s close friend and designer of the cover art. The songs were written in winter 2020, when the pandemic lockdown forced Lu Silver to loneliness inside a room. The same one he’s already been living in for two years, but things can change. Out of the blue, he found himself on his own for days at a time and that was too much even if he’s always loved to carve out his own space and enjoy his solitude. Winter became a journey between present and past, between lights and shadows. He instinctively needed to unle- ash intimate emotions, being not afraid to dig deep. This melan- choly side of him has always been there since he was a child. All this turned into a catharsis that brought new energy and joy. Maybe this also happens to some of you… Each song is a little scrap of a life soundtrack.
Lu Silver‘s brand new album “Luneliness” will be coming out on May 6th and is available for pre-order HERE
THE ROCK ALCHEMIST – Italian Rock Band from Turin with a strong sonic identity that blends modern rock with progressive, hard, alternative, and pop elements!
Kimmo Kuusniemi’s SARCOFAGUS return with a Historic 2010 Concert Video Premiere on YouTube! Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 