Recently, doom/drone/sludge bands have been releaseing some intense albums, strippng down any kind of riff as sonic excess. They have been slabs of primal savagery, shaking the foundations of what simple can be. Ommadon has now dropped another monolith upon us, in the form of Empathy for the Wicked: a 2 song, Side A/Side B monstrosity that will rattle your teeth.  

Los Angeles, California’s Armored Saint are set to release their seventh studio album next week. The album, Win Hands Down, is all things Armored, a vintage crush of classic power propelled by a cathartic blast of life in the year 2015.  

Nihilistic Black Metallers THE NEGATION have posted the second trailer for their forthcoming album, Memento Mori! Kaotoxin Records will release Memento Mori on July 6 (July 7 digital and North America). The first pressing comes as a limited edition (500 copies) DigiSleeve CD. Check out the trailer at this location. The band’s debut full-length, Paths of Obedience (2013), took an unsuspecting scene by total surprise with its crushingly heavy and powerful production for a freezing cold, dark as fuck and totally nihilistic Black Metal attack. Memento Mori, the band’s second full-length will confirm THE NEGATION as a top-class Black Metal act ready to conquer the world and bring it to its death! Produced at... 

Australian atmospheric blackened sludge metal collective, HOPE DRONE, emerges from the depths with their Relapse Records debut, Cloak Of Ash, set for release this July.  

Following the crushing doom of their critically-adored, 2014 double LP, V, which earned a spot on Rolling Stone’s 20 Best Metal Albums Of 2014, UK drone/doom duo, OMMADON, continues their perpetual quest to achieve sonic annihilation of the self through unadulterated heaviness with Empathy For The Wicked.  

So, it seems that all the rumors are true, Ben Affleck will be appearing in the upcoming Suicide Squad movie as The Batman. These first look pics show Batman on top of Jared Leto’s The Joker’s getaway car.  

Motor City thrashers BATTLECROSS have just returned home from a successful trip to Bogota, CO, and nearly immediately upon returning, have launched a brand new song from their forthcoming album, “Rise to Power”! The new song, “Not Your Slave”, is streaming at metalblade.com/battlecross, where pre-order bundles are also available. “Rise to Power” will be released worldwide on Metal Blade Records on August 21st, 2015. The record was produced by Jason Suecof, and mixed/mastered by Mark Lewis at Audiohammer Studios. Cover art was completed by Hungarian artist Péter Sallai (Sabaton, Sacred Steel).  

MVD Entertainment Group furthers the distribution of Arrow Video in the US with a strong schedule of new titles…  

Legendary frontman Glenn Danzig (Danzig, Misfits, Samhain) will be hitting the North American road this summer, with punk rock stalwarts Pennywise and Cancer Bats.  

The late spring and early summer will see Imagen Recording artists 3 Years Hollow hard at work once again – hitting the road as part of a must-see bill which will also feature Powerman 5000 and Soil. But first up will be a new single and video issued on May 19th, “Chemical Ride” – a strong fan favorite that has already been eagerly spun on a number of stations. “Chemical Ride” is the follow up to the band’s two Top 30 hits, “Hungry” and “For Life.” Make no mistake about it, 3 Years Hollow is determined to bring back ROCK to the current music scene, and are in it for the long haul.  

Taking Back Sunday has announced additional tour summer/fall tour dates today, including a performance at Riot Fest Chicago and a run of shows with support from Citizen and Modern Chemistry in September. Dates are listed below.  

This June, one of the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy’s greatest foes returns to the fore. Today, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at KORVAC SAGA #1 – a brand-new Secret Wars series from critically acclaimed writer Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy, Guardians 3000) and rising star artist Otto Schmidt!