The original Sentinel of Liberty returns! Recently restored to his super-powered self, Steve Rogers makes his triumphant return to the red, white and blue this May in the all-new CAPTAIN AMERICA: STEVE ROGERS #1! Hot off the blockbuster Avengers: Standoff crossover, creators Nick Spencer and Jesus Saiz bring Steve back into the field with a new mission, a new costume, a new shield and wall-to-wall action!    

Because it’s not possible to go in depth with every single album, and two highly progressive releases have released in such close proximity, here’s, in brief, summaries on the Ihsahn and Haken albums.  

About six years ago, Richmond, Virginia doom-metallers Cough came into the spotlight of the underground metal scene. Ritual Abuse was a dark, twisted, and sickly forray into a drug-induced wasteland, and the reception for it only backed it up that this was a titanic album. Between the massive riffs and the haunting atmospheres, Cough became a behemoth among doom metal bands and not one to be taken lightly.  

Periphery have been holed up in the studio this year, having only released the sprawling double-album Juggernaut: Alpha and Omega previously in 2015. Not without their share of wild studio updates, the band has been slowly letting fans in on what this new album is shaping up to be.  

The All-New X-Men plunge headlong into Apocalypse Wars this May! Today, Marvel is please to present your first look inside ALL-NEW X-MEN #9 – coming at you from creators Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley! The young mutants are on a mission to step out of the shadows of their predecessors and write their own futures. But none carry the weight of what the future may hold quite like Evan Sabahnur.  

The opening salvos of the war that will fracture the Marvel Universe will be fired here! Today Marvel is pleased to present your first look inside CIVIL WAR II #0 – coming to comic shops and digital devices this May! From the blockbuster creative team that brought you House of M and Siege – Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel bring you the blistering first chapter of the comic event of the year.  

   Amon Amarth don’t have much left to prove to the world at this point in their career. Within the nearly three years since Deceiver of the Gods was released, the band have grown exponentially beyond an overseas sensation, into a juggernaut worldwide. Taking that opening slot on the Mayhem Festival main stage proved to go a long way, as the band embarked on two headlining North American tours the following year, each time growing larger than before.  

Sweden’s traditional death metal is very much alive and well. With bands like Bloodbath, Entombed, and Entrails keeping the tradition of the “buzzsaw” guitar tone alive, it’s easy to forget Sweden made the antithesis of it with melodic death metal. Even though films like Metal: A Headbanber’s Journey lumps bands like Grave and Arch Enemy into one genre, simply dubbed “Swedish Death Metal,” it’s more evident that the bands that follow the likes of Entombed and the such are a different breed than even the traditional death metal bands from the rest of the world.  

I’ll be the first to admit that I never expected much out of Fear Factory when I first listened to them. To my surprise, they became a group of musicians who I respected for their in-your-face albums with the chops to back them up. Nobody could argue that while you knew what you were getting into with Fear Factory, you wouldn’t end up disappointed. With that said, I’ve always been wary of anything associated with industrial metal, in the sense that it can be so computerized and clean, at times, that the thrill of actually seeing an industrial band live would not be able to replicate that.  

The Summer Slaughter tour decided to one-up itself from its last reveal a few days ago by teasing more bands this time, Previously, the page for the touring festival alluded to Cannibal Corpse, Nile, and After the Burial being alluded to heavily.  

Southern California metal titans WINDS OF PLAGUE today have signed a record deal with Entertainment One Music (eOne) / Good Fight Music. The band is also announcing their first headlining tour in two and a half years, with RINGS OF SATURN as direct support. Vocalist Johnny Cooke offers a full statement below.  

I’m not a stranger to the “djent” scene, or progressive metalcore, as it may actually be deemed. Periphery and Vildhjarta were two of the bands that introduced me to this style, although both have since gone on to craft their own respective sounds, steering far from the core sound of the scene. This has not alienated me, however, and I’ve managed to find enjoyment in bands like Northlane and In Hearts Wake, as well as Veil of Maya’s, After the Burial, and even Volumes at times. Essentially, bands like the aforementioned have braced more of the “metalcore” aspect of the stylings, but don’t shy away from the progressive aspects,like virtuoso guitar work, time signature changes, and other varying trivialities...