So very rare is it that I look at a line-up and say to myself “That’s evil.” I like to think we’re past the point in time where we regard metal bands, no matter what genre, as “evil,” but sometimes I end up contradicting myself. Especially in regards to black metal and death metal, using “evil” as a description is so typical, especially when the bands themselves deserve more credit than that. Such is the case when Immolation announced they’d be touring with legendary Norwegian act Mayhem, supporting them on performances of their landmark album De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Most extreme tour of the year? Damn right. Growing up in the tri-state area, coming into black metal resulted in myself stumbling... 

Metalmania, the biggest indoor metal festival in Eastern Europe returns to Spodek Hall (Katowice, Poland) on 7th April 2018. The 24th edition of this iconic festival will be headlined by Emperor! Napalm Death, a British extreme metal band have just been added to the lineup. Polish bands Inverted Mind and Kult Mogił are confirmed to perform on the second stage.  

Ugly, frost-bitten, troll-ravaged folk-metallers FROST GIANT will unleash a new beast in 2018. Transcending Records is gearing up for the release of The Harlot Star, an 11 track salute to the glory of battle from one of folk metal’s most unique and entertaining bands. FROST GIANT’s third full-length is a catchy mix of 90’s So-Cal punk, European folk metal and American hardcore rooted in Norse mythology, historical references and general silliness.  

Earlier this spring, platinum-selling Papa Roach teamed with singer Skylar Grey for “Periscope,” the chart-topping melancholic ballad from their Crooked Teeth album (Eleven Seven Music). Today (December 1), the band closes out 2018 with a special remix of “Periscope” by Southern California-based production & DJ duo EMRSV.  

Following on from the success of the collaboration with Ville Valo (HIM) last year on the MGT cover of ABBA’s classic “Knowing Me Knowing You” (over 2M views on youtube / 300K plays on Spotify), former The Mission/Peter Murphy guitarist Mark Gemini Thwaite has teamed up with vocalist Ashton Nyte of The Awakening to create the upcoming album Gemini Nyte.  

“Payback” comes from BWR’s new album, Electrified. Electrified promises to be more riff-heavy than BWR’s previous albums, featuring hooks and catchy choruses to pull you in, all while retaining a musical identity of its own. The album is available via Pavement Entertainment and can be found in digital and retail outlets everywhere.  

#1 New York Times bestselling cartoonist Johnnie Christmas (Angel Catbird, SHELTERED) and superstar colorist Tamra Bonvillain (Doom Patrol, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur) will release a trade paperback collection of FIREBUG, the explosive mythological tale that first debuted in ISLAND.  

Metallica’s album Hardwired…To Self-Destruct received two Grammy® awards nominations this morning in the Best Rock Album category for the heralded, global chart-topping album and Best Rock Song for the song “Atlas Rise.”  Their albums have won a total of nine Grammy® Awards with 21 nominations.  

David Ellefson of Megadeth, via his label EMP LABEL GROUP, has announced the relaunch of COMBAT RECORDS, the seminal Punk/Thrash label that started Megadeth’s career.  

I have no quarrel with Blabbermouth.net, but something has to be said site of their comments section. Whenever they post an artist people don’t immediately know it quickly becomes a game of “Who?” and other unoriginal comments that are (still) painfully unfunny nearing the end of 2017, which  says quite a lot that people aren’t willing to read or, most importantly, listen to bands they aren’t familiar with.  

German Thrash legends Accu§er will release their new album, The Mastery, on January 26th via Metal Blade Records! Accu§er comments: “2017 has been quite busy for us, as we wanted to come back with a bang and to present you a more than decent follow up to ‘The Forlorn Divide’.  

I don’t really get Thrice. I’m speaking of their versatility, that is. The band has proven time and time again that they cannot be pigeon-holed into a genre, and while their core sound is distinguishable, it’s their experimentation and risks that truly stand out. So what don’t I get? It’s simple, really: how does the band continue to impress so seemingly effortlessly?