2021 marks a monumental year for death metal with the long-awaited return of influential Floridian juggernauts, MASSACRE! Today, the band has unleashed their highly anticipated album, “Resurgence,” with Nuclear Blast. Their 4th album, in a career spanning nearly 4 decades, is classic, unadulterated death metal in its purest form.
In conjunction with today’s record release the band has unveiled what is likely one of the most horrifying and appalling music videos ever made for their latest single “Return of the Corpse Grinder.” Watch the repugnant uncensored video (banned from YouTube), or the censored version for those with weak stomachs! *TRIGGER WARNING: Brutal violation of corpse and necrophilia of charred human remains.
Commenting on the release of “Resurgence” and gruesome new single “Return of the Corpse Grinder,” vocalist Kam Lee states:
“Well for starters… we made a video for RETURN OF THE CORPSE GRINDER… but it is so disgusting and foul it may be BANNED! How fucking awesome is that?!! Total Jorg Buttgereit (NEKROMANTIK films) worship! Disgusting necrophilia and Ed Gein worship – the ONLY way to do the song justice. Anything less would have been a disservice and just wimpy!! But it’s most likely too extreme for most viewers… I feel so accomplished!!
I hope fans do get to check it out… it’s a total complete tribute to the Nekromantik films and to Ed Gein being the influence to the original songs lyrics to begin with. And the songs music is just a perfect continuation in style and form – it really brings the Corpse Grinder saga full circle. Coming out of the gate with RESURGENCE and being told that video we did for the 2nd part to the Corpse Grinder may be too extreme to air is fucking brilliant!!
I am proud of the work we did on the album, the songs and material really are the essence of O.S.D.M. style and sound, and I feel this was the best team I could gather together to make this album what it is! I realize lightening couldn’t strike twice… “From Beyond” was lightening in a bottle… and it’s not going to be beat, but I did my best to bring the proper team together to make a follow up – 30 years late – that is and proves to be the proper and correct continuation of the band MASSACRE the way it was always meant to be!”
Today (October 22nd), ARMORED SAINT have released a new CD/DVD, Symbol of Salvation Live, via Metal Blade Records, to celebrate the seminal album’s 30th anniversary. For a preview of Symbol of Salvation Live, a live video for “Spineless” can be seen below.
Stream the live audio of Symbol of Salvation Live, plus purchase the CD/DVD now at: metalblade.com/armoredsaint – where this release is available in various formats.
There are many ways to celebrate the anniversary of an important release in a band’s career, and for Symbol Of Salvation‘s thirtieth birthday – an album vocalist John Bush refers to as Armored Saint‘s “cornerstone record” – comes Symbol Of Salvation Live. A combination live album and video of the band playing the album in its entirety at New York’s famed Gramercy Theatre during their 2018 tour, it captures the power, diversity and peerless songwriting contained within it. “I felt like showing ‘Symbol‘ in another light was a great homage to the record itself,” states bassist Joey Vera. “Also, having all the fans be there and part of that event is a way for us to say ‘Thank you!’ For, without them, we can’t do any of this in the first place.”
There is no denying that Symbol Of Salvation stands out of the band’s catalogue as something truly special, something that the band recognize as readily as their rabid fanbase. “It links our past to our future,” says Bush. “I believe it was the time that we honestly thought we could do whatever we wanted to musically and it would somehow work. There’s a magical feeling about it and it continues to gain mystique every year.” However, the band went through some adverse times while initially writing the songs that would make up the record, being without a label for three years prior to signing with Metal Blade, and in 1990 – before they headed into the studio – losing founding guitarist Dave Prichard to leukemia. This ultimately served to light a fire under the band, pushing them to deliver their very best. “Because we had lifted ourselves out of these ashes, as it were, we felt a very strong desire to make every little thing count,” elaborates Vera. “It felt more important than anything we had ever done before. For one thing, we didn’t want Dave’s writing contributions to be in vain. Also, we were on a mission to let the world hear what we’d been working on for three years. Funny thing is, that during the separation of the metal genre between glam and thrash from ’85 to ’89, we kinda felt like we had to prove something to everyone else. But while making ‘Symbol’, we also had something to prove, except this time, we had to prove it to ourselves.”
The decision to play the album in its entirety on dates in the US and Europe in 2018 was in fact quite pragmatic, the band between records and wanting to play more shows, and with the anniversary of Symbol Of Salvation on the horizon, Vera believed it would be a “fun challenge” to play it in a live setting. “We thought since the fans seem to agree that this record is a favorite, it would be well received. And as usual, it takes time and planning for a release down the road, so we jumped on that idea and did a bunch of dates before we began writing for our next record,” says Vera. “It was really great seeing the reaction from the crowds when we’d play the really deep cuts. Not only the songs we very rarely played, but also the couple of songs that we had never played before. Some of these tunes took on a whole new life and it was very motivating for me, to see these songs in a different light. I would say that experience was an inspiration when I began writing for ‘Punching the Sky’ (2020).” The show itself was captured by a six-camera crew, Bush saying the band were “pumped up”, knowing that they were filming, and as always the quintet delivered their very best from the moment they stepped on stage. They also have fond memories of the show, which remains their biggest headline show in New York to date. “The vibe in the room was so great,” says Vera. “The fans made us feel so welcome, like we had come home for a celebration of sorts, and we all celebrated ‘Symbol of Salvation’. It gave me chills hearing people sing along to songs like ‘Burning Question’, a song we never had played live before.”
As an extra bonus, the vinyl and digital versions of the record contain five demo tracks from the Symbol Of Salvation writing sessions with Dave Prichard, which have never been released on that format. “They’re songs that didn’t make the record, however, there still is a vibe to those tunes, plus Dave’s playing is on them, so that makes them special,” says Bush. These tracks make for welcome additions, helping to further celebrate the record, and the band are just happy and respectful of the fact they have reached this anniversary. “If you would have told me thirty years ago that we’d be talking about this today, I would have told you that you were crazy,” Vera says. “All we’ve ever wanted was to make our own music, to take joy and take pride in doing it. The fact that we also have very loyal fans who continue to support what we do is the best icing on this cake. I try to look at our records as objectively as possible, and when I can do that, I’m very proud that this record is a huge part of the band’s legacy, and I am extremely humbled that I’m a part of that.”
Symbol of Salvation Live CD/DVD track-listing 1. Reign of Fire (Live) 2. Dropping Like Flies (Live) 3. Last Train Home (Live) 4. Tribal Dance (Live) 5. The Truth Always Hurts (Live) 6. Half Drawn Bridge (Live) 7. Another Day (Live) 8. Symbol of Salvation (Live) 9. Hanging Judge (Live) 10. Warzone (Live) 11. Burning Question (Live) 12. Tainted Past (Live) 13. Spineless (Live) *additional bonus tracks on the digital/vinyl versions: 14. Nothing Between the Ears (1989 4-Track Demo) 15. Get Lost (1989 4-Track Demo) 16. Medieval Nightmares (1989 4-Track Demo) 17. People (1989 4-Track Demo) 18. Pirates (1989 4-Track Demo) 19. Symbol of Salvation (Live) [Radio Edit] **available digitally only!
Legendary Swedish high energy rock’n’roll band THE HELLACOPTERS have signed a deal with Nuclear Blast Records! To celebrate the new partnership, their classic third album, “Grande Rock,” from 1999 has been made available on digital services for the first time ever. Furthermore, the band has wrapped up the recording of a brand new HELLACOPTERS studio album which will see the light of day in Spring 2022! Stay tuned for more updates!
Click here to listen to the single “The Devil Stole The Beat From The Lord“.
A remastered version of the vintage video clip for the smashing single and long-time fan-favourite “The Devil Stole The Beat From The Lord” (taken from “Grande Rock”) can be watched here:
THE HELLACOPTERS front man Nicke Andersson comments:”The excitement levels are sky high over here at camp Hellacopter. I know I said this was never gonna happen but I was wrong. Once in a blue moon that’s the case and not only do we have a brand new album ready to be unleashed upon you, dear disciples of the rock – we also have the immense pleasure of doing this together with the finest of folks at Nuclear Blast Records. Good times ahead indeed!“
Jens Prüter, Head Of A&R Nuclear Blast Europe comments:”I was more than happy to see The Hellacopters again at their recent reunion shows. To quote Dave Grohl from an interview at the Australian Big Day Out Festival (where the band played with the Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chilli Peppers): “The Hellacopters are amazing. They’re one of the best bands you’ve ever seen in your life. I’m telling you. It’s amazing.” Of course, at the reunion shows I asked the band if they would also do a new album, but I didn’t want to build my dreams up too high. But I guess dreams can come true. Special thanks to Nicke, Robert, Boba, Dregen and their manager Patrick for giving Nuclear Blast the opportunity to work with The Hellacopters. The upcoming album proves that they are still amazing. I’m telling you.“
THE HELLACOPTERS Grande Rock (1999)
01. Action De Grâce 02. Alright Already Now 03. Move Right Out Of Here 04. Welcome To Hell 05. The Electric Index Eel 06. Paul Stanley 07. The Devil Stole The Beat From The Lord 08. Dogday Mornings 09. Venus In Force 10. 5 vs. 7 11. Lonely 12. Renvoyer
THE HELLACOPTERS were formed in 1994 by Nicke Andersson (vocals and guitar), Andreas Tyrone “Dregen” Svensson (guitar), Kenny Håkansson (bass) and Robert Eriksson (drums). Andersson is renowned for his work in death metal band ENTOMBED and Dregen from his main band BACKYARD BABIES. Together with THE HIVES, THE HELLACOPTERS are considered one of the most important and influential Swedish rock bands – they achieved two Gold certifications, won the Swedish grammy and a Kerrang! award, and have amassed 100 million streams to date. The Hellacopters reunited in 2016 and have proven an unstoppable force ever since, performing at Sweden Rock Festival, Psycho Las Vegas, Download, Hellfest, Roskilde, Ilosaarirock, and many more.
Behind The Scenes Of “Grande Rock”:
“In September 1998 we had made around 100 shows, after our previous album “Payin’ The Dues” was released in Oct ’97, and decided it was time to record a new album, our third. We wanted to try out something new and entered Silence Studios in Koppom, the darkest woods of western Sweden, instead of Sunlight Studio in central Stockholm, which had been our main studio up until then. We were also one guitar player short. Original guitarist Dregen had just quit the band a few months earlier and since we hadn’t found a steady replacement at the time it was decided that Anders “Boba” Lindström would play second guitar as well as piano and organ. We had the intention of doing it all by ourselves in this remote residential studio without any distractions whatsoever. The basic tracks were done in only three days and then Kenny Håkansson (bass) and myself left to see The Rolling Stones in Stockholm. Nicke and Boba soldiered on and a week later when the rhythm section came back to the studio, most of the guitars and vocals were already done. When the album was finished, the touring for the previous album continued in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and USA/Canada for another 3 months leaving the record to be mixed without any of the band members present, also the only time this has ever happened.
“Grande Rock” turned out to be a landmark album and the first one of ours that was released simultaneously in May 1999 by four different labels in four different continents (!). Right before it was released we had recruited Robert “Strings” Dahlqvist on second guitar who became Dregens official replacement. The Grande Rock World Tour followed and saw the band playing 130 shows in 25 countries.
Now, in 2021, 22 years after its initial release and since long a hot item within record collectors and only available through second hand record stores, “Grande Rock” will for the first time ever be out digitally on all platforms.”
(And this is not the end of Grande Rock either, more news will follow.)
Sincerely, Robert Eriksson, THE HELLACOPTERS
The Hellacopters – Live in Concert 2021 15 Dec – Sentrum Scene – Oslo, Norway 17 Dec – Globen – Stockholm, Sweden 18 Dec – Göransson Arena – Sandviken, Sweden 19 Dec – Luttako – Jyväskylä, Finland 20 Dec – Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland 21 Dec – Tavastia, Helsinki, Finland
The Hellacopters – Live in Concert 2022 08 – 11 Jun – Sweden Rock, Sweden 15 – 18 Jun – Copenhell, Denmark 16 Jul – Ingolstadt, Phnx Rising Festival, Germany 27 Aug – Hamburg, Damage Done Fest, Germany
Finland’s melodic death metallers RE-ARMED have announced a EP celebrating its 20th anniversary, titled “XX”. The EP will contain five other songs in addition to today’s first single/music video release “As the Stars Align”. The EP will be released digitally via Inverse Records and it drops out on 27 January 2022.
The band comments on the new single, EP and on the band’s 20th anniversary:‘The single’s soundscape is filled with lots of sweet melodies, while still maintaining raw energy brought by impulsive drums and highlighted growl vocals. Song lyrics continue the theme explored in the previous album; wonders of the universe and life’s uniqueness… And what about the anniversary and upcoming EP release. Well, during the 20 years, the band has seen better and worse, but almighty Finnish “sisu”, aka willpower has pushed us through these years and keeps us still on the move. We want to thank everyone who has been involved in this band somehow at some point of this adventure – meaning each and everyone who brought something to the table at that point of trip. Anyhow, the best thing about the past is that it shows us what not to bring into the future – which is clearly visible and heard in the great outcome today. On the upcoming EP new winds are blowing and there will be some, let’s say “adjusted” echoes from the past.’
Ukrainian blackened death/doom metal visionaries 1914 continue to reflect the gruesome tales of World War I, its soldiers’ fate, their death, fear and feats to be never forgotten on their sinister third epos, Where Fear and Weapons Meet, out this Friday, October 22, 2021 via Napalm Records. After smashing their massive first treat “…And a Cross Now Marks His Place”, feat. none other than Paradise Lost icon Nick Holmes, followed by scorching “Pillars of Fire (The Battle of Messines)”, the Ukrainian WWI experts now reveal the secret of their third single “FN .380 ACP#19074”, alongside a thrilling lyric video.
The track breaks in with a majestic yet intimidating orchestra, heavy guitar lines, thunderous black metal drumming like a blaze of gunfire and raw vocal power. It reflects the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife 1914 in Sarajevo, an event that caused the outbreak of World War I.
Ditmar Kumarberg comments: “This track marks the beginning of the entire conflict – the assassination of Franz Ferdinand – the event that triggered the conflict that had been brewing for the last 10 years. The royal houses of Europe wanted this war, it was inevitable – technical progress, territorial claims and dissatisfaction of people led to this. And so, the Yugoslav nationalist Gavrilo Princip fired the shots that launched the process. Two shots from a .380 ACP FN Model 1910 pistol numbered 19074, which changed the world forever, collapsed large empires and killed tens of millions of people.”
1914 break into their third offering with the intro “War In”, summed up by final “War Out”, and immediately build a common thread to the previous records. “War In” is the original of the most famous Serbian song of the Great War period, “Tamo Daleko”. Like World War I, the album begins in Serbia and continues on the first track from the prospective of Gavrilo Princip, who assassinated Franz Ferdinand and his wife on June 28, 1914.
What happens next is an intense, in-depth analysis of historical events. For example – Battle of Vimy Ridge, shameful pages of the British Empire history in the track “Coward” featuring Sasha Boole (Me And That Man), The Battle of Messines on “Pillars of Fire” or the infantry regiment, the Harlem Hellfighters, on “Don’t Tread On Me”. Authentic forces like ambient sonic war samplings transport these stories even further into the present and make Where Fear and Weapons Meet another heavily intense and deep-reaching output that will grant 1914 even higher appreciation than the five-piece is already credited with.
1914 on the album: “Where Fear and Weapons Meet continues the theme we started on The Blind Leading the Blind – with one major difference: these are the stories about hope where most of our characters are staying alive, becoming heroes, and returning back to their homes. Yes, it is still about fear, death, and senselessness of war, but the hope is the only thing the soldier holds on to. And a good portion of luck as well. Even the album cover reflects this – the man lays wounded, bleeding in the trench, reaching his hand to Death begging for relieve, and Death declines to take him. He deserves to live.
The album starts with the assassination in Sarajevo, leads you through the bloodiest moments of the Great War, and ends up with the monologue on a grave of a young man killed in his first battle. This time we did have even more hard digging into the historical background while making the tracks. We are not singing the songs, we are telling the stories!”
1914’s eleven new tracks of pure historic harshness follow up to the band’s sophomore full-length, The Blind Leading the Blind (2018), and debut, Eschatology of War (2015), both highly acclaimed amongst critics, and create a sophisticated variety of massively brutal blackened death metal accented by dramatic and realistic audio soundscapes and disquieting melodies spiced with the approach of sludge and doom!
Where Fear and Weapons Meet track listing: 1. War In 2. FN .380 ACP#19074 3. Vimy Ridge (In Memory of Filip Konowal) 4. Pillars of Fire (The Battle of Messines) 5. Don’t Tread on Me (Harlem Hellfighters) 6. Coward (feat. Sasha Boole) 7. …And a Cross Now Marks His Place (feat. Nick Holmes) 8. Corps d’autos-canons-mitrailleuses (A.C.M) 9. Mit Gott für König und Vaterland 10. The Green Fields of France 11. War Out
1914 live: Dive headfirst into WWI and experience 1914 live with bands like Konvent, (0), Livløs, Hiraes and Dwaal in 2022!
13.03.22 AT – Vienna / Viper Room 14.03.22 SK – Kosice / Collosseum 15.03.22 HU – Budapest / Blue Hell 18.03.22 IT – Venice / Revolver Music Hall 19.03.22 IT – Rome / Traffic Club 20.03.22 IT – Milan / Legend Club 22.03.22 FR – Toulouse / Le Rex 23.03.22 ES – Bilbao / Azkena 24.03.22 ES – A Coruña / Mardi Gras 25.03.22 PT – Porto / Metalpoint Club 26.03.22 PT – Lisbon / Side B Rocks 27.03.22 ES – Madrid / Wurlitzer 29.03.22 ES – Zaragoza / Sala López 30.03.22 ES – Barcelona / Razzmatazz 3 31.03.22 FR – Lyon / Rock n Eat 01.04.22 CH – Martigny / Sunset Bar 02.04.22 CH – Basel / Sommercasino 03.04.22 AT – Salzburg / Rockhouse Bar 06.04.22 DE – Trier / Mergener Hof 07.04.22 DE – Erfurt / From Hell 08.04.22 DK – Odense / Posten 09.04.22 DK – Copenhagen / Amager Bio 10.04.22 DK – Aalborg / Studenterhuset 12.04.22 SE – Stockholm / Hus 7 13.04.22 SE – Gothenburg / Valand 14.04.22 NO – Oslo / Inferno Metal Festival 15.04.22 DK – Kolding / Godset 16.04.22 DE – Hanover / Béi Chéz Heinz 17.04.22 DE – Munich / Backstage Halle (Dark Easter Metal Meeting) 18.04.22 FR – Colmar / Grillen 19.04.22 FR – Paris / Gibus 20.04.22 DE – Frankfurt / Nachtleben 21.04.22 DE – Bruchsal / Fabrik 22.04.22 DE – Lichtenfels / Ragnarök Festival 23.04.22 DE – Dortmund / Junkyard Tombstone Fest 24.04.22 NL – Eindhoven / Dynamo 28.04.22 UK – Plymouth / Underground 29.04.22 UK – Cardiff / Fuel 30.04.22 UK – Bridgwater / Southwest Heavyfest 01.05.22 UK – Birmingham / The Castle & Falcon 02.05.22 UK – London / Black Heart 03.05.22 UK – Stoke / Underground 04.05.22 UK – Manchester / Satans Hollow 05.05.22 UK – Glasgow / Audio 06.05.22 UK – Nottingham / Ye Old Salutation 07.05.22 UK – Leeds / Boom 11.05.22 BE – Bilzen / South of Heaven 12.05.22 DE – Osnabrück / Bastard Club 13.05.22 DK – Aarhus / Voxhall 14.05.22 NL – Erica / Pitfest 16.05.22 DE – Berlin / Nuke Club 17.05.22 DE – Dresden / Beatpol 18.05.22 DE – Munich / Backstage Club 19.05.22 CZ – Prague / Modra Voice 20.05.22 CZ – Ostrava / Barrak 21.05.22 CZ – Brno / Melodka 22.05.22 PL – Warszawa / Hydrozagadka
Jimmy Kay and Alex Dixon from Canada’s The Metal Voice spoke to DREAM THEATER Singer James LeBrie. LaBrie talked about the bands new album, the postponed North American tour and his Opportunity with Iron Maiden in the past.
When asked about the postponed North American tour “It just came down to how comfortable we were with going out and we were getting kind of mixed messages. from promoters, our agencies and all across the board. When you put together a tour the amount of money that you put into a tour is astronomical and the kind of production we go out with is pretty big, it’s pretty substantial. So we were getting a lot of indication that the bands that had been going out were out for a week or two then somebody in the band or crew would come down with Covid and the whole camp had to be shut down, that is financially disabling for any tour. If I want to be completely honest with you it was not a unanimous decision there three of us that said no we are not going out and there were two of us who said come on let’s do it and that’s what it came down to, it was a majority vote we’re not about to go out.”
When asked about the new album “I think we always stood true to ourselves first and foremost. So there is an identity there is a familiarity there so when people spin any given Dream Theater album you can identify with it, immediately. A lot of fans that have heard any snippet of the new album, have said wow it seems to be reminiscent of some older classic Dream Theater. We definitely reached back into our roots. We knew before going into the studio we wanted to write an epic, everyone was on board for that. So when you know you are going to do something like that it opens up all the possibilities for the rest of the album to unfold as such. This album was like let’s get back to not having any parameters that we need to be concerned with consciously and just let’s write what we feel to create a classic Dream Theater album and I think it really does stand on it’s own.”
When asked if he ever was asked to join Iron Maiden When Bruce Dickinson left the band “Absolutely, at the time we were looking at being managed by Iron Maiden’s management. You have to remember I was in a very bizarre situation. Dream Theater already recorded Images and Words, we were looking for management and we were trying to set up a tour and get out there and we met Rod Smallwood. We were playing darts and Rod Smallwood took me aside and I remember him saying to me, I just want to throw something at you and he had his assistant with him too Mark at the time. And they are both standing there going, what do you think about being the singer with Iron Maiden. And I said What? What are we talking about here? I am confused? Are you not here for the reason that you might start managing Dream Theater or are to get me to become the singer. So I just said no, no way. I am going to tell you the reasons why I’m not going to do this and they said what is that. And I said, one Dream Theater, that’s it, period. I remember thinking I am not going to go out there and sing Iron Maiden every night even though I think they are a great band and Bruce is a great singer. No Thank you. I needed to create something that I created from the beginning, even though I was not on the first Dream Theater album. It was all respect, they totally got it and we moved on.”
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 ) 