BASSIST OSCAR RANGEL RETURNS TO ANNIHILATOR

Canadian thrash metal masters Annihilator have made the following announcement:

"ANNIHILATOR Update: Hi all.... J. Waters here in lovely Hannover, Germany once again and just finished up shooting 2 videos for a few songs from the new SUICIDE SOCIETY record (out Sept. 18!). Lots going on but I will fill you in on all the awesome things going on very soon... but I have some sad news that I need to share. Our new bassist Cam Dixon informed us all (Tuesday night, in Germany/after shooting the 2nd video) that his fiancée had just recently been diagnosed with terminal lung and breast cancer... Cam hid this the best he could during the video shoots and none of us know how he even got through them; but he did! All at UDR Records, all of us in and working with Annihilator and BuntMetal (the video company) give her, Cam and their families/friends our deepest best-wishes, thoughts and some prayers... Cam is back home from Germany & with her. After hearing this news, our bassist for the last few years, Oscar Rangel offered to come back for the summer festival run we have soon and possibly for the rest of the touring cycle, if needed... very cool of him, too. Oscar had briefly left us in February to work on his metal project OPERUS. Talk to you all soon about what is coming quick in the Annihilator world but, for now, thoughts to them."

DEADSPACE UNLEASHES "THE PROMISE OF OBLIVION"

Australian depressive black metal band Deadspace has just released a video for the track "The Promise of Oblivion". The track is part of the band´s debut full length release entitled also "The Promise of Oblivion" that was released in April. "The Promise of Oblivion" was released independently and features the following tracks:

1.     The Promise of Oblivion    
2.     With Tears of Callous Lust 
3.     I'll Buy the Rope    
4.     The Clouds Won't Shade the Pain    
5.     Oblivion        
6.     Schadenfreude        
7.     Pain's Grey        
8.     In the Coldness of the Darkest Night

IRON MAIDEN RELEASES NEW ALBUM "THE BOOK OF SOULS"

Here is the press statement:

The Book Of Souls - coming September 4th.

IRON MAIDEN’s eagerly awaited new studio album The Book Of Souls will be released globally on 4th September through Parlophone Records (BMG in the U.S.A.). It was recorded in Paris with their longstanding producer Kevin “Caveman” Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added earlier this year. However, the band decided to delay its release so that vocalist Bruce Dickinson, who was recently given the all-clear from a tumour, would have time to recuperate sufficiently to join in the preparations for the album’s launch.

The stunning cover art was created by Mark Wilkinson who has worked with the band previously, and because this 11 track album has a total running time of 92 minutes, it is IRON MAIDEN’s first ever double studio album. There’s a broader split on the song-writing compared to previous Maiden records, with bassist and founder member Steve Harris contributing to seven of the tracks; 6 of them with Maiden’s guitarists and one sole composition. This is also the first time since 1984’s Powerslave that an IRON MAIDEN studio album also features two tracks written solely by Bruce Dickinson, one of which is the longest song Maiden has ever recorded! And also two Dickinson/Smith collaborations.

Steve comments,
“We approached this album in a different way to how we’ve recorded previously. A lot of the songs were actually written while we were there in the studio and we rehearsed and recorded them straight away while they were still fresh, and I think that immediacy really shows in the songs, they have almost a live feel to them I think. I’m very proud of The Book Of Souls, we all are, and we can’t wait for our fans to hear it, and especially to take it out on the road next year!”

Bruce continues,
“We’re really excited about The Book Of Souls and had a fantastic time creating it. We started working on the album in late summer 2014 and recorded it at Guillame Tell Studios in Paris, where we’d done the Brave New World album back in 2000 so the studio holds special memories for all of us. We were delighted to discover the same magical vibe is still alive and very much kicking there! So we immediately felt at home and the ideas just started flowing. By the time we’d finished we all agreed that each track was such an integral part of the whole body of work that if it needed to be a double album, then double its going to be!”

The full tracklisiting is:

Disc 1
1. If Eternity Should Fail (Dickinson) 8:28
2. Speed Of Light (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:01
3. The Great Unknown (Smith/ Harris) 6:37
4. The Red And The Black (Harris) 13:33
5. When The River Runs Deep (Smith/ Harris) 5:52
6. The Book Of Souls (Gers/ Harris) 10:27

Disc 2
7. Death Or Glory (Smith/ Dickinson) 5:13
8. Shadows Of The Valley (Gers/ Harris) 7:32
9. Tears Of A Clown (Smith/ Harris) 4:59
10. The Man Of Sorrows (Murray/ Harris) 6:28
11. Empire Of The Clouds (Dickinson) 18:01

Formats:
2CD deluxe hardbound book limited edition
2CD standard edition
Triple heavyweight black vinyl
High res audio (24-bit Mastered for ITunes and non-Mastered for iTunes)
Standard res audio (16 bit/ 44.1 kHz)

The Book Of Souls is the band’s 16th studio album since their eponymous debut in 1980 charted at #4 in the UK, in a career achieving sales of over 90 million albums worldwide. Their previous album, 2010’s The Final Frontier was Maiden’s most successful chart-wise to date, reaching Number One in 28 countries and was their highest chart debut in the U.S reaching #4 in the Billboard 200.

Due to Bruce’s illness the band had to delay touring plans but promise to be out on the road again early next year, giving time for Bruce to make a full physical recovery to be ready for the rigours of Maiden live performances.

KAETS STREAMS TRACK FROM NEW ALBUM

French thrash death metal quintet Kaets has released a track entitled "Destruction of Time" from their forthcoming debut album "Human Machine", that will be released in September through Klonosphere Records (check the stream below). Kaets is funding the recordings of "Human Machine" and you can contribute and help them by preordering the album here.

OGOTAY STREAMS TRACK FROM NEW ALBUM

Polish death metal band Ogotay is streaming a new track coming directly from their new album "Dead God´s Prophet" that will be released in August 1st through Selfmadegod Records. The new album is the follow-up to 2012's "Eve Of The Last Day". "Dead God’s Prophet" tracklisting:
“Dead God’s Prophet”
“Antiseptic Hell”
“Axis Mundi”
“Entering The Void”
“Bastards And Orphans”
“Kneel And Die”
“The Wasteland”
“Huge Fucking Nothing”

METAL CHURCH RE-RELEASED "BADLANDS" TUNE WITH MIKE HOWE ON VOCALS

Thrash metal masters Metal Church have just released a re-recording of their classic tune "Badlands" featuring Mike Howe on vocals. The re-recording was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier and features Mike Howe (vocals), Kurdt Vanderhoof (guitar), Jeff Plate (drums), Steve Unger (bass) and Rick Van Zandt (lead guitar). You can check the new version below.

SQUASH BOWELS RELEASES LIVE DVD + TRAILER

Polish grindcore /brutal death metal band Squash Bowels has released a live DVD with their show from the Obscene Extreme Festival 2011. The DVD includes also live footage from other festivals where the band has played. The DVD is entitled "Grindvirus Syndrome" and is released through Deformeathing Productions. You can check a video trailer below:

NIHILISTINEN BARBAARISUUS RELEASES LYRIC VIDEO FOR "LET THEM PERISH"

US atmospheric black metal band Nihilistinen Barbaarisuus has released a lyric video for the track "Let Them Perish". The tune comes from the band´s new album "The Child Must Die" that will be released through Infernal Kommando Records. You can check the video below:

IWRESTLEDABEARONCE STREAMS WHOLE NEW ALBUM

Experimental brutal band Iwrestledabearonce have made their complete album "Hail Mary" available for streaming (you can check it below). The band has already release three albums, their 2009 debut, "It's All Happening" and 2011's "Ruining It For Everybody" and "Late For Nothing", "Hail Mary" features the following tracks

01. Gift Of Death

02. Remain Clam

03. Green Eyes

04. Erase It All

05. Curse The Spot

06. Doomed To Fail Pt. 1

07. Doomed To Fail Pt. 2

08. Killed To Death

09. Trips

10. Man Of Virtue

11. Carbon Copy

12. Wade In The Water

13. We All Float Down Here

14. Your God Is Too Small

SLAYER REVEALS NEW ALBUM ARTWORK

Here is the press release:

"SLAYER REVEAL 'REPENTLESS' ALBUM ARTWORK; TITLE TRACK TO GET DIGITAL GLOBAL RELEASE FRIDAY, JUNE 19th!

Today, Slayer unveil the album artwork for their 11th studio album, Repentless, due out 9/11/15 (Nuclear Blast). The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco in collaboration with the band’s Tom Araya and Kerry King.

“We had a number of submitted ideas for the cover artwork,“ said Araya. “And we felt Marcelo’s was the best. We made some suggestions and the result is an awesome album cover.“

The band also announces that the album's title and first official track will be available digitally virtually everywhere (Amazon, iTunes, Google) around the globe this Friday, June 19.

“'Repentless' is my Jeff tribute,“ said SLAYER’s Kerry King. “I call it the 'HannemAnthem.' It’s my perspective of Jeff’s perspective, it’s what I think...if Jeff wrote a song for himself, 'Repentless' would be it.“

REPENTLESS is SLAYER’s first new studio album since 2009’s critically-acclaimed, Grammy-nominated »World Painted Blood«. The twelve songs were produced by Terry Date and recorded between August 2014 and mid-January 2015 at Henson Studios in Los Angeles. SLAYER will tour extensively to support the release of the album, and will headline this summer’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival that kicks off July 26 in San Diego, CA.