Maurizio Iacono, frontman of the veteran Death Metal band, Kataklysm, has issued a statement on his official Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=746102696 commenting on the recent layoffs at Roadrunner Records and the state of the music industry in general. Numerous press outlets have picked up the strong and impassioned message in the wake of this massive hit to the Heavy Metal community.
DESOLATION, a brand new track from Richmond, Virginia Metal act LAMB OF GOD, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's new album, RESOLUTION, which will be released in North America on 24th January via EPIC RECORDS (one day earlier internationally through ROADRUNNER RECORDS), the CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's WRATH.
Gojira Releases Third Studio Webisode Online
Published in Recent News
The third in a series of webisodes featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the new album from French Progressive Metal band GOJIRA can be seen below. The CD is currently being recorded at SPIN RECORDING STUDIOS in Long Island City, New York with co-producer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD) for an early 2012 release via the band's new record label, ROADRUNNER RECORDS.
Lamb Of God New Track Available For Streaming
Published in Recent News
GHOST WALKING, a brand new track from Richmond, Virginia Metal band LAMB OF GOD, can be streamed at MetalSucks.net. The track comes off the band's new album, RESOLUTION, which will be released in North America on 24th January 2012 via EPIC RECORDS (one day earlier internationally through ROADRUNNER RECORDS). The CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's WRATH.
SOULFLY has set ENSLAVED as the title of its eighth album, due on 13th March 2012 via ROADRUNNER RECORDS. The CD was recorded at TALLCAT STUDIOS in Phoenix, Arizona and was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, the seasoned knob twiddler behind some of the most notable bands in Metal today, such as SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, THE RED CHORD and more. SOULFLY vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera also shared production duties.
ROADRUNNER RECORDS has announced the signing of Southern California's AT THE SKYLINES. With a new home at ROADRUNNER RECORDS, the six-piece, which features a potent dual guitar and dual vocal attack, has settled into the process of writing its debut album. The band is recording in Sweden with Fredrik Nordström, whose resume is filled with names like AT THE GATES, BRING ME THE HORIZON, IN FLAMES and DIMMU BORGIR. The band will also spend November on tour as part of the "To Write Love On Her Arms Presents: The Children Of Fire Tour" featuring OH, SLEEPER, GREELEY ESTATES, TEN AFTER TWO and SECRETS.
KORN will release its tenth studio album, THE PATH OF TOTALITY, on 6th December via ROADRUNNER RECORDS.
STORM CORROSION, the much-anticipated collaboration project between OPETH's Mikael Åkerfeldt and PORCUPINE TREE's Steven Wilson, has completed work on its self-titled debut album for an April 2012 release through an as-yet-undicslosed record label.
Finnish/Swedish Symphonic Metal band NIGHTWISH will release their new album, IMAGINAERIUM, in Finland on Wednesday, 30th November and the rest of Europe on Friday, 2nd December via NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS. The CD will be made available in North America through ROADRUNNER RECORDS.
Tracklist
01. Taikatalvi
02. Storytime
03. Ghost River
04. Slow, Love, Slow
05. I Want My Tears Back
06. Scaretale
07. Arabesque
08. Turn Loose The Mermaids
09. Rest Calm
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
11. Last Ride Of The Day
12. Song Of Myself
13. Imaginaerum
Regarding the IMAGINAERIUM cover artwork, NIGHTWISH keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen said, "Originally, this was supposed to be the centerfold image of the album, but once I and some mates saw the final image, we immediately knew that the hunt for the actual cover artwork was over. I believe this is Toxic Angel's finest piece of work yet, capturing the deepest essence of what IMAGINAERIUM is all about. The power of imagination and places of wordless wonders, magic and awe, of longing and the surreal.
"I emphasized from the start that not a single living thing should be seen in the picture, and Toxic was able to create that sublime but desolate, 'all this waiting for you, and you only' feeling.
"All you need is the courage to enter."
Short IMAGINAERIUM track-by-track commentary from Tuomas:
01. Taikatalvi
"This world is but a canvas for our imagination."
02. Storytime
"How would it feel to take a midnight flight with a snowman through the most wondrous landscapes, like in the classic animated 'Yuletide' film? The meaning of our very existence is created though stories, tales and imagination. They are at the very core of humanity."
03. Ghost River
"Life is the ultimate privilege; a river filled with wonders and horrors. Love, sorrow, beauty, evil and temptation. And we need them all to survive and enjoy the journey. Good, Evil, Pain and Pleasure - members one of another."
04. Slow, Love, Slow
"Truest love needs no words, demands or promises. It is wordless territory, and thoroughly unconditional."
05. I Want My Tears Back
"Longing for things long gone, but still possible to bring back."
06. Scaretale
"Monsters in the closet, squealing pigs, hordes of spiders and flesh-ripping harpies. A peek into childhood's unforgettable nightmares- a vivid and twisted circus sideshow."
07. Arabesque
"A catharsis to a nightmare. Giving birth through a death-dance."
08. Turn Loose The Mermaids
"We quietly witness as her dying loved one takes his last journey...forever now, a haunting moment of beauty and comfort."
09. Rest Calm
"Memories and hope are two things no-one can ever take away from you. The sweetness of my own past is a bottomless chest of comfort and inspiration."
10. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove
"Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me Truth" - Henry David Thoreau. Love is everything, and only Truth is our guide to a deeper state.
11. Last Ride Of The Day
"The theme park is just about to close, but the rollercoaster runs one more time and you get to take the last ride by yourself. It`s dark and the fireworks have just started. Moments such as these are portals to infinite dreams, of deep realisation, and ultimately the thrilling awareness of being a speck of dust in this vast swirling cosmos."
12. Song Of Myself
"Our homage and version of Walt Whitman`s transcendental celebration of life and existence, delving deep into a personal catharsis."
13. Imaginaerum
"Thank you for sharing the ride and we hope to welcome you back soon. The stage is lit, and the Magnificent Play is beginning..."
NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to the IMAGINAERIUM album, but also planning a movie of the same name.
IMAGINAERIUM is one of the projects which recently received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, will get $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.
NIGHTWISH's new single, STORYTIME, will be released on Friday, 11th November via NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS.
Regarding the musical direction of the forthcoming album, NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon wrote on her official blog, "I think it's a great and varied CD. The feelings in it are great and there are a lot of elements in it, so I am sure it will have many different favorite songs for the listeners since the songs are so different in styles and sound. [2007's] DARK PASSION PLAY is a great album and this one, too, so I don't know yet which one I like more, but, of course, for me personally, this one feels better to do since the songs are more adjusted to my voice and my style."
NIGHTWISH will kick off the IMAGINAERIUM world tour in Los Angeles. The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Saturday, 21st January. This will be the biggest Nightwish show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off - there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.
Opeth Streaming Heritage In Its Entirety
Published in Recent News
HERITAGE, the new album from Swedish Progressive Metal band OPETH, is available for streaming in its entirety at Npr.org. Due on 20th September via ROADRUNNER RECORDS, the CD was produced by OPETH's vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt and was recorded earlier this year at ATLANTIS STUDIOS (formerly METRONOME STUDIOS) in Stockholm. Mixing duties were handled by Steven Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE) and Åkerfeldt. Longtime collaborator Travis Smith also worked with Åkerfeldt to create, design and execute the album's artwork.