Crusty Death/Doom outfit Vallenfyre have returned to GodCity studio in Salem, MA to record the follow up to their second album ‘Splinters’ (2014). The new album, entitled ‘Fear Those Who Fear Him’, will be released by Century Media this summer and sees the band recording as a three-piece for the first time.

Joining Gregor Mackintosh (vocals and guitar – Paradise Lost) and Hamish Glencross (guitar/bass – ex-My Dying Bride) on the new record is Waltteri Väyrynen (drums – Paradise Lost) with production duties once again being helmed by Kurt Ballou (Converge).

Gregor Mackintosh says: “Twelve songs. No samples. No triggers. No bullshit. Instead you get crucifyingly loud amps, ferocious drumming, and vicious vocals spitting out hate and venom. Raw honest brutality. No conformity. No compromise. A murderous nightmare vomiting poisonous bile onto a twisted world. Yeah, that’s the bits I like…”

You can find more information at www.facebook.com/Vallenfyre or www.vallenfyreuk.bigcartel.com

Iron Maiden will return to North America this summer. Their ‘Book Of Souls’ world tour opened in Florida last February playing 14 sold-out shows in the USA and Canada along with a further 58 concerts in 34 other countries around the globe.

After ripping through Europe this Spring they’ll touch down in Bristow, VA on June 3 with Swedish occult doom cult Ghost.

The full list of dates are at www.IronMaiden.com

Steve Harris commented; “We are really looking forward to returning to North America for a full tour. We had always planned to go back there and to the UK as last year, due to the global nature of the tour and the period it took, we just didn’t have time to cover them properly and we do still like to get to fans in as many places as possible! So this year we’re able to reach many more cities in America, including a return to places Maiden haven’t played for many, many years like Lincoln Nebraska, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City and Oakland, California. We also welcome playing in Brooklyn for the first time. We will, of course, be bringing the full production with us including all the Eddies and the Maya-themed stage sets. … Read More

Old school death metallers Memoriam (featuring ex and current members of Bolt Thrower and Benediction) are set to unleash their debut album ‘For The Fallen’ on March 24 through Nuclear Blast Records. It will contain eight tracks, including ‘War Rages On’, ‘Resistance’ (both featured on ‘The Hellfire Demos II’) and ‘Surrounded (By Death)’ (featured on ‘The Hellfire Demos II’).

The album’s impressive artwork was created by Dan Seagrave (Benediction, Dismember, Hypocrisy, Suffocation). He said: “[I started] from the band’s thoughts on visualising a kind of funeral procession with a theme of combat, war and in conjunction with the title ‘For the Fallen’. As with all my works, I then attempted to make the information evolve in my mind’s eye, and allow imagination to take over those elements, but retaining the core concept. The painting thus depicts a funeral procession moving through a long war torn cityscape; twisted shards of towers and buildings. A cathedral facade stands defiantly, yet riddled with destruction and decay. At closer inspection the structures all seem to be infected with an element of natural decomposition, as if organically inclined to fade with the demise of the season.

“The season itself lost in a timeless void. The figures appear … Read More

The Ajna Offensive have just announced that March 17 will mark the international release date for Venenum‘s highly-anticipated debut album, ‘Trance Of Death’, saying “It makes a difference in effort and time, either to dig six feet deep or to build a necropolis. Venenum decided for the latter…and it was worth every fucking second of waiting.”

Five years after the self-titled mini-album, Venenum strike with their debut full-length. According to the label, who will co-release the album with German death metal stable, Sepulchral Voice (the masters behind Degial and Charon); “The album presents Venenum on a new level of devotion and continues new and never-before-heard layers of darkness. The six new compositions and introduction theme are a grand melding of unique visions and unaltered traditions woven and blended into a complex unit of sacred horror. ‘Trance Of Death’ is far away from being another one-dimensional tribute to the grave: it is reverence and praise, a hymn to the impending end of all things.”

Artwork and layout is by Iron Fist favourite Timo Ketola (Dissection, Deathspell Omega).

From their debut mini-album:

Venenum by Venenum

In April, British heavy metal veterans Mythra will release a brand new studio album entitled ‘Still Burning’. The album will be available as a vinyl LP, CD and digital download, and will be released via High Roller Records.

“It’s the first time the band have gone into the studio and recorded a complete album all in one go. We flew out to Poland in October 2016 to work with Bart Gabriel (Crystal Viper) as producer. It was a superb experience and we all had a great time working with him.  We were totally blown away when High Roller Records signed us to record the album and cannot thank them enough. Their support has been incredible,” says vocalist, Vince High. “We intended to stay true to our NWOBHM roots and achieved our goal. The 11 tracks have tons of power and energy, twin lead guitar breaks, driving bass, thunderous drums and big choruses. Everything fans would expect from a Mythra album,” he adds. The album’s cover artwork was painted by Roberto Toderico, an Italian artist known for his previous collaboration with the band, as well as Tygers Of Pan Tang and Quartz.

Last year Mythra released the ‘Warriors Of Time: The Anthology’ album, which featured a collection of … Read More

Legendary US Power Thrashers Hexx have inked a new two album record deal with Germany’s High Roller Records. The band is currently working on twelve new songs with producer Bart Gabriel (Crystal Viper, Burning Starr), who also produced band’s latest single ‘Tyrants Of Steel’ (part of their split with Ruthless). The new album will showcase the band’s return to their roots, and the style they are known for from their early classic albums ‘Under The Spell’ and ‘No Escape’. The album will be entitled ‘Wrath Of The Reaper’, and has been scheduled for the release in the Spring/Summer of 2017.

Hexx, led by founding member and guitarist Dan Watson, features new vocalist Eddy Vega and Bob Wright (Brocas Helm) on second guitar. The lineup is completed by Mike Horn (who joined in 2013) on bass guitar, and drummer John Shaffer (who played in Hexx between 1986 and 1995, and returned in 2014).

In addition to releasing the ‘Tyrants Of Steel’ single, in 2016 Hexx also reissued their early albums ‘Under The Spell’ and ‘No Escape’ in the form of a 30th anniversary 2CD/DVD box set via Metal Blade Records, and the 1991 technical epic ‘Morbid Reality’ via Dark Symphonies Records.

Hexx originally formed … Read More

Thrash metal revivalists Havok are thrilled to announce the details of their upcoming new studio album, ‘Conformicide’. The Denver-based group will unleash their fourth full-length record on March 10 via Century Media.

‘Conformicide’ is the follow up to the band’s 2013 effort, ‘Unnatural Selection’. Discussing what fans can expect from the new record, David Sanchez (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) comments: “‘Conformicide’ is our most dynamic, heavy, thoughtful, musical, and sonically-crushing album so far. All four members feel that this is the best Havok album to date. There are a lot of truth bombs being dropped on this record and the music absolutely rips!”

Building on Sanchez’s comments, Reece Scruggs (lead guitar) adds: “This album swings for the fences in every way. Sonically stunning, technically proficient and lyrically pissed, we’ve never been represented at our best until this moment in time. We cannot wait for the world to react to ‘Conformicide’.”

Havok will also return to the road in 2017 with extensive touring schedules in both North America and Europe. Expressing the band’s level of enthusiasm to bring their fans an even heavier and more energized live show than ever before, Sanchez states: “We can’t wait to perform some new music live and present … Read More

Nuclear Blast have just announced the signing of Little Rock, Arkansas progressive doom quartet Pallbearer. They commented on the signing: “We are very excited to be working with Nuclear Blast on this record, as so many of the bands that have helped to shape our own artistic pathways have before us.”

Monte Conner, Nuclear Blast Entertainment president adds: “Pallbearer continue to evolve and scale new creative and sonic heights with ‘Heartless’. I am very honoured to be working hand-in-hand with the band, Profound Lore and Oblique Artist Management, and look forward to Nuclear Blast playing a key role in exposing new fans to this incredible band.”

Pallbearer can also reveal today that their highly anticipated forthcoming third record titled ‘Heartless’ is due for release on 24th March 2017. It will be released via Nuclear Blast for the UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand and via Profound Lore in North America.

Pallbearer commented on ‘Heartless’: “This album finds us exploring new territories; instead of staring into to the void – both above and within – ‘Heartless’ concentrates its power on a grim reality. Our lives, our homes and our world are all plumbing the depths of utter darkness, as we seek to find any … Read More

The bedrock – some may say – on which death metal is based, Morbid Angel and Possessed have both been added to Party.San Festival at Schlotheim, Flugplatz Obermehler in Germany alongside cult underground death-thrashers Demolition Hammer.

They join Candlemass, Marduk, Mourning Beloveth and Autopsy, amongst others at the weekend long festival which takes place on August 10-12.

Tickets are available here.