Jimmy Kay from The Metal Voice recently interviewed Metal Blade Records founder and CEO Brain Slagel.
On the show they did a deep dive on the first two iconic Mercyful Fate albums and E.P., ‘Melissa’ and Don’t break the Oath, which have been re-released (as well as the rest of the MercyFul Fate and King Diamond Catalog on Metal Blade Records).
Also in the chat Slagel also gave an update on Mercyful Fate’s future recording plans.
Slagel was asked in the conversation about Mercyful Fate’s plans to record and release new music, he said, “So here are the plans. So there’s two (new) songs, one of which you know they’re playing in the set (“The Jackal Of Salzburg), which was supposed to be out prior to all of this (tour) but everything’s delayed. So the first thing is they’re going to finish up (that song) as soon as this tour is done. They’re gonna finish up that song, it’s mostly recorded and we’re gonna put that out to the digital people on the internet, so you’ll be able to stream that. I don’t know, sometime in the next few months so there’s that. They (Mercyful Fate) have another song they’ve written that’s also going to be out there as well, so there’ll be two Mercyful Fate songs out there. We’ll probably do some sort of vinyl thing with the two tracks as well. Then we’ll have a King Diamond album following that up and then we’ll go back to kind of the way we did in the 90s where the next record will be full Mercyful Fate album.”
Metal Blade Records has just released a new Rewind segment on YouTube in celebration of the label’s 40th anniversary. This Rewind features Lizzy Borden who talks about how the band’s live video release “The Murderess Metal Road Show” came about. Check it out here:
In other 40 Anniversary news, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE is gearing up for their performance at the Las Vegas House of Blues on Wednesday, October 5 with Fit For An Autopsy and labelmates Visigoth on as support. This show marks the final party hosted by Metal Blade Records in celebration of the illustrious label’s 40th year. Comedian Don Jamieson will be joining us as host for the evening. Tickets for the show are available for purchase here: ticketmaster.com
Be sure to check out metalblade.com/40thanniversary for access to our decades based Playlists, exclusive merchandise and vinyl, and our 40th Anniversary premium vodka and beer collaborations.
About Metal Blade Records: Founded upon owner Brian Slagel‘s enduring drive to find great bands and get their music out to as many people as possible, since 1982 Metal Blade has brought wave after wave of powerful, innovative, and often genre-defining music to the ever-hungry metal masses. It is this ethos that has seen Metal Blade build up a stunning and diverse catalog, weather the various storms facing any independent label, and in an age of declining record sales boast the most successful years of its existence as it celebrates its fourth decade.
Metal Blade Records launched Metallica, Slayer, Armored Saint, Fates Warning, GWAR, Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth,Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cattle Decapitation, and dozens more genre giants, shaping four decades and counting of hard rock, metal, and extreme music culture. Brian Slagel worked as a record store clerk when he founded Metal Blade in 1982, reserving a spot for a young Lars Ulrich on his Metal Massacre compilation series. Metal Blade grew from humble beginnings in Los Angeles to become an international powerhouse, selling millions of albums while remaining fiercely independent. In 2017, Slayer‘s Kerry King inducted the label into the Hall of Heavy Metal History. Slagel’s For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records arrived the same year.
In honor of 40 outstanding years in metal, Metal Blade Records presents a special limited edition 40th Anniversary premium, 100% French wheat vodka by Infinity Premium Vodka.
Crafted using only the finest grains of winter wheat from the Champagne region of France. Sustainably distilled 5x and filtered through limestone to ensure the perfection demanded by luxury vodka connoisseurs. Carefully crafted at the source of wheat in France and loyally distributed from Infinity Premium Vodka‘s home in Dallas, Texas.
Now available in select locations in NY, NJ, CO, KS and online at: metalbladevodka.com. Coming to CA and NV soon! Shipping is a flat rate of $19.99 for 1-6 bottles and $29.99 for 6-12 bottles. Special t-shirt & vodka packages are also available!
In other news, Metal Blade Records will be opening their Heavy Metal Museum to 20 more lucky guests on Friday, September 16th. The museum will be open from 12noon to 5pm and any ticket holders arriving at 12noon will get a guided tour by Brian Slagel himself. Get your ticket for $19.82 HERE – only 20 tickets available!
About Metal Blade Records: Founded upon owner Brian Slagel‘s enduring drive to find great bands and get their music out to as many people as possible, since 1982 Metal Blade has brought wave after wave of powerful, innovative, and often genre-defining music to the ever-hungry metal masses. It is this ethos that has seen Metal Blade build up a stunning and diverse catalog, weather the various storms facing any independent label, and in an age of declining record sales boast the most successful years of its existence as it celebrates its fourth decade.
Metal Blade Records launched Metallica, Slayer, Armored Saint, Fates Warning, GWAR, Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth,Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cattle Decapitation, and dozens more genre giants, shaping four decades and counting of hard rock, metal, and extreme music culture. Brian Slagel worked as a record store clerk when he founded Metal Blade in 1982, reserving a spot for a young Lars Ulrich on his Metal Massacre compilation series. Metal Blade grew from humble beginnings in Los Angeles to become an international powerhouse, selling millions of albums while remaining fiercely independent. In 2017, Slayer‘s Kerry King inducted the label into the Hall of Heavy Metal History. Slagel’s For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records arrived the same year.
Blackened death thrash practitioners GOATWHORE are pleased to unleash ‘Death From Above,’ the fiery new single off their long-awaited new full-length, “Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven”, set for release on October 7th via Metal Blade Records! Check it out below:
Marching into their twenty-fifth year as master architects of the most ruthless extreme metal, with “Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven”, GOATWHORE spews forth forty-seven decimating minutes of the band‘s trademark brew of death, black, thrash, and classic metal delivered with breathless intensity and an unapologetic bloodlust.
The title of the record – like all of the band‘s releases – is both deep and direct. Notes vocalist Louis B. Falgoust II, “It‘s a mixture of esoteric ideas and biblical scripts; the rise and fall of the self and how the abyss can be a turning point for some and a passageway to oblivion for others.” Lyrically, Falgoust draws from a wide-ranging assortment of inspirations. Latest album teaser, ‘Death From Above,’ is loosely based on the “Nachthexen,” or Night Witches, a group of female Soviet aviators in a bomber division deployed in 1942, a period during which women were in fact barred from combat.
Offers guitarist/vocalist Sammy Duet, “It‘s an atomic blast of old school blackened death thrash for your asses. Beware the Night Witches…”
“Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven” will be released on CD, digitally, and LP in the following color variants: – Smoke vinyl (US exclusive – clear w/ black smoke) – Bloodshot vinyl (US exclusive – clear w/ red swirl) – 180g Black vinyl (EU exclusive) – Silver/Black Marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies) – Blood Red/Black Marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies) – White/Black Marbled vinyl (EU exclusive – limited to 300 copies) Find preorders at: http://metalblade.com/goatwhore
“Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven” Track Listing: 1. Invocation 3 2. Born Of Satan’s Flesh 3. The Bestowal Of Abomination 4. Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven 5. Death From Above 6. Ruinous Liturgy 7. Victory Is The Lightning Of Destruction 8. Voracious Blood Fixation 9. The Devil’s Warlords 10. Weight Of A Soulless Heart 11. Nihil 12. And I Was Delivered From The Wound Of Perdition
Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven was produced by Jarrett Pritchard (Exhumed, 1349), who handled the band‘sVengeful Ascension full-length, and tracked primarily at Studio In The Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana under pandemic restrictions. Additionally, the band recruited acclaimed producer Kurt Ballou (Converge, High On Fire, Gatecreeper, Code Orange) to mix the record with final mastering duties handled by Grammy-award winning engineer Ted Jensen (Ghost, Gojira, Cult Of Luna). The record is tied together by the striking artwork of longtime collaborator Jordan Barlow who‘s cryptic use of sigils holds deeper meaning to the record‘s entirety.
Unquestionably their fiercest, most accomplished album to date in sound, concept, and execution, the twelve-track Angels Hung From The Arches Of Heaven stands among the most volatile and plainly dangerous records to come out of 2022. Featuring ferocious beasts like the maniacally thrashing “Born Of Satan‘s Flesh,” the oldschool, crossover flavored “Death From Above” with its guttural chorus, and a towering title track that‘s as haunting as it is heavy, the band – Duet, Falgoust, drummer Zack Simmons, and bassist Robert “TA” Coleman (his first recorded output with the band) – covers a wealth of sonic terrain while preserving their signature, nefarious GOATWHORE aura. With an overall tone described by Duet as “dark and evil” with a perpetual sentiment of “impending dread,” the record allows little light to cling to.
“…a blood-spewing banger that harnesses everything that makes this band exciting in one tight package. The interplay between frontman Ben Falgoust’s diverse array of growls and guitarist-vocalist Sammy Duet’s goblin shrieks is terrific, and their masterful transitions between black-metal speed, thrash riffage and just plain ripping death metal heaviness is unmatched.” – Revolver on “Born Of Satan‘s Flesh”
“A vicious brew of blackened thrash and death metal is GOATWHORE‘s M.O., and ’Born Of Satan‘s Flesh‘ hits that multi-genre intersection at blinding speeds. Guitarist Sammy Duet rains down precision riffs while frontman Louis Ben Falgoust II spouts blasphemies through his bellowing snarl. The accompanying performance clip offers a glimpse at what it would be like to witness the brutality live.” – Consequence
“…one of the gnarliest blackened death metal bands ever.” – Denver Westword “One of the hardest working bands in all of metal. GOATWHORE is always on tour, always great to their fans, and always giving it all they got. There are no duds whatsoever in their entire catalog and guitarist Sammy Duet is one of the very best there is. These guys should be playing arenas.” – MetalSucks‘ 14 Metal Artists Who Should be Much Bigger Than They Are Column 2022.
Death metal legends CANNIBAL CORPSE will close out 2022 with a North American headlining tour! The month-long journey will commence November 3rd in Silver Springs, Maryland and run through December 10th in St. Petersburg, Florida with support provided by Dark Funeral, Immolation, and Black Anvil. The trek includes a headlining performance at the first annual Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest: Denver on December 2nd. Additionally, the band will appear on this year’s edition of the Blue Ridge Rock Festival this September. See all confirmed dates below.
CANNIBAL CORPSE: 9/08/2022 Blue Ridge Rock Festival @ Virginia International Raceway – Alton, VA w/ Dark Funeral, Immolation, Black Anvil: 11/03/2022 The Fillmore – Silver Springs, MD 11/04/2022 Empire Live – Albany, NY 11/05/2022 MTELUS – Montreal, QC 11/06/2022 Danforth Music Hall – Toronto, ON 11/08/2022 The Agora – Cleveland, OH 11/09/2022 Bogart’s – Cincinnati, OH 11/10/2022 Piere’s Entertainment Center – Fort Wayne, IN 11/11/2022 The Forge – Joliet, IL 11/12/2022 The Rave II – Milwaukee, WI 11/15/2022 The Palace Theatre – Calgary, AB 11/17/2022 The Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC 11/18/2022 The Rickshaw Theatre – Vancouver, BC 11/19/2022 The Showbox – Seattle, WA 11/21/2022 Regency Ballroom – San Francisco, CA 11/22/2022 The Wiltern – Los Angeles, CA 11/23/2022 The Observatory North Park – San Diego, CA 11/25/2022 House Of Blues – Las Vegas, NV 11/26/2022 Encore – Tucson, AZ 11/28/2022 Empire Garage – Austin, TX 11/29/2022 House Of Blues – Dallas, TX 11/30/2022 Diamond Ballroom – Oklahoma City, OK 12/02/2022 Decibel Magazine Metal & Beer Fest @ Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO 12/03/2022 The Granada – Lawrence, KS 12/04/2022 Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, NE 12/05/2022 The Apollo Theatre AC – Belvidere, IL 12/06/2022 The Vogue Theatre – Indianapolis, IN 12/08/2022 The Concourse – Knoxville, TN 12/09/2022 Georgia Theatre – Athens, GA 12/10/2022 Jannus Live – St. Petersburg, FL
CANNIBAL CORPSE continues to tour in support of their critically cherished Violence Unimagined full-length, released last year via Metal Blade Records. Comprising eleven tracks, Violence Unimagined is state of the art death metal played with passion and breathless precision, making for another flawless addition to what is inarguably one of the premier catalogues of the genre. While they continue to do what they do with aplomb, the one substantial change to CANNIBAL CORPSE is the addition of guitarist Erik Rutan to their ranks, joining bassist Alex Webster, founding drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz, guitarist Rob Barrett, and vocalist George “Corpsegrinder” Fisher. Known for his roles in Morbid Angel, Ripping Corpse, and most notably fronting the mighty Hate Eternal, Rutan has long established himself as one of the most dynamic forces in contemporary death metal. Simultaneously, he has built up a reputation as one of the most in demand producers in metal, having previously produced four CANNIBAL CORPSE albums (in addition to Violence Unimagined), alongside the likes of Goatwhore, Soilent Green, and Belphegor. Filling in live on guitar since 2019, in 2020 he became a full member, contributing to the writing process.
“The overall richness of this release is stunning, be it the staircasing whorl of ‘Slowly Sawn,’ the weird spatial patterns of what should’ve been the album closer, ‘Overtorture,’ the thematic red herring of ‘Follow The Blood,’ or the fact that the latter’s lead at 3:03 evokes – against all fucking odds – Crimson Glory’s Transcendence.” – Decibel Magazine
“…no death metal band maintains such a pure, vibrant energy.” – Pitchfork
“CANNIBAL CORPSE doesn’t simply continue to prove its relevance with Violence Unimagined, they’ve offered an album that’s as good as anything death metal fans could hope for in 2021. They sound as savage as a new band that’s trying to make its mark.” – Blabbermouth
“…the Floridians’ fifteenth studio album serves as a periodic reminder that, no matter how many pig-squealing, crypt-plundering, meat-sculpting scavengers follow in their entrail-strewn wake, nobody will ever topple them from atop their flesh-embroidered throne.” – MetalSucks
Metal Blade Records, the fiercely independent label that launched Metallica, Slayer, Armored Saint, Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth, and dozens more iconic heavy metal bands, continues its 40th Anniversary Celebration in 2022 with the release of a new playlist featuring a selection of songs from the label’s 00’s catalog spanning 2000-2010.
In conjunction with the release of the label’s 00’s playlist, a brand-new merch design created by renowned heavy metal artist Travis Smith has also been released. Smith is known for creating iconic cover art for bands like King Diamond, Opeth, Devin Townsend, Nevermore, Soilwork, Anathema and Bloodbath, just to name a few.
Two final anniversary celebration shows are taking place in Las Vegas, NV this September and October: SACRED REICH, an integral part of the thrash movement still churning out classics on Metal Blade, tops the bill on September 17 at The Space in Las Vegas while headliners KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are taking over the Las Vegas House Of Blues on October 5. Supporting KsE at the 3rd and final concert commemorating Metal Blade Records’ momentous anniversary is Fit for an Autopsy and label mates VISIGOTH.
Founded upon owner Brian Slagel‘s enduring drive to find great bands and get their music out to as many people as possible, since 1982 Metal Blade has brought wave after wave of powerful, innovative, and often genre-defining music to the ever-hungry metal masses. It is this ethos that has seen Metal Blade build up a stunning and diverse catalogue, weather the various storms facing any independent label, and in an age of declining record sales boast the most successful years of its existence as it celebrates its fourth decade. Metal Blade Records launched Metallica, Slayer, Armored Saint, Fates Warning, GWAR, Cannibal Corpse, Amon Amarth, Whitechapel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Cattle Decapitation, and dozens more genre giants, shaping four decades and counting of hard rock, metal, and extreme music culture. Brian Slagel worked as a record store clerk when he founded Metal Blade in 1982, reserving a spot for a young Lars Ulrich on his Metal Massacre compilation series. Metal Blade grew from humble beginnings in Los Angeles to become an international powerhouse, selling millions of albums while remaining fiercely independent. In 2017, Slayer‘s Kerry King inducted the label into the Hall of Heavy Metal History. Slagel‘s The Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records arrived the same year.
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
Kimmo Kuusniemi's Ancient Streaming Assembly - 'Perpetuae Memoriae', ft. Tuomas Rounakari + Steve Di Giorgio - Click image to watch the video
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Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 