The first-ever LOUDWIRE MUSIC AWARDS ceremony and concert will debut in Los Angeles this fall. The rock ‘n’ roll event will take place on Tuesday, October 24 at The Novo Theater ­­­­at L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles. The preliminary lineup, featuring exclusive concert performances, will be announced Wednesday, July 19, and tickets and VIP packages will go on sale at 10:00 AM PT the same day.    

Bassist/Producer Scott Wilson, who, after over six years, and as the band’s second longest standing member, recently announced his departure from Tantric. Wilson, now bassist for SAVING ABEL, released the following statement regarding the situation surrounding his exit from the band. “There has been some untruths and speculation circling about my departure from Tantric. To clarify, I made the decision to leave, as did the rest of the band. This was not a spur of the moment decision, but a culmination of years of erratic and profoundly unprofessional behavior from other members of the band, and a lack of forward momentum and opportunities. When I brought in my dear friend Bryan Bonds formerly of Florida Georgia... 

BEHEMOTH will kick off a massive North American expedition supporting Slayer and Lamb Of God. The trek will commence tomorrow, July 12th in Bemidji, Minnesota, and make its way through over two dozen cities, coming to a close on August 20th in Phoenix, Arizona. Log on to www.slayer.net/tour for all purchasing details.  

Legendary Swedish Black Metal outfit MARDUK will return to North America once again as they have revealed dates this fall for the “Frontschwein North America Tour: Part 2”!  

Chicago heavy rockers SOiL will release “Scream: The Essentials” on September 15, 2017, via Pavement Entertainment and AFM Records. Celebrating the band’s 20-year career, this release will feature tracks from their humble beginnings, rise to fame, and also include alternate versions and mixes.  

Writer Joe Harris (SNOWFALL, X-Files) and artist Megan Hutchison (An Aurora Grimeon Story: Will O’ the Wisp) will launch a new story arc in their ongoing series ROCKSTARS this August: Children of the Beast. In ROCKSTARS #6, self-proclaimed “rock ‘n’ roll investigators” Jackie Mayer and Dorothy Buell uncover a sinister connection between an ‘80s metal legend and the hot, new shredding sensation Dani Dangerous. “If there was ever a genre that fit the ROCKSTARS modus, ethos, and mythological mission statement, it’s metal,” said Harris. “And, with Children of the Beast, we’re tapping into some of my favorite tropes and subversive tendencies from the 1980s to today, including backward masking,... 

Powerwolf has risen over the years to become one of the biggest flagships in the heavy metal scene of today! The band has a deep bond with Metal Blade Records who helped them over the period of four albums to become the dominating force they are today.  

For MOSAIC, 311 worked with producer John Feldmann (Blink-182, Panic! At The Disco) as well as Scotch Ralston (who produced the group’siconic Transistor, Soundsystem and Stereolithic albums). On the album singer/guitarist NICK HEXUM, guitarist TIM MAHONEY, bassist P-NUT drummer CHAD SEXTON and singer/DJ S.A. MARTINEZ dive into a variety of styles, flexing their collective musical muscle honed from playing together for almost three decades.  

UNCURED are a New Jersey-based progressive, technical death metal band led by the 17 year-old guitar prodigy, Rex Cox, alongside his 19 year-old brother, Zak Cox, on lead guitars. The dynamic rhythm section of Jon Kita (Diecast) on bass and Liam Manley on drums round out the group. UNCURED will kick-off a lengthy US tour alongside DevilDriver, 36 Crazyfists and Cane Hill on August 18th. UNCURED released its first full-length record, Medusa, on March 10th, 2017. Metalsucks.net wrote that Medusa is “a synthesis of all manner of melodic, progressive, technical metal — Dream Theater, Opeth, etc — mixed with a groovy, almost tribal approach trafficked by ’90s stalwarts like Sepultura and Fear Factory. Have... 

As Swedish death metallists’ THE LURKING FEAR prepare for the release of their debut album, “Out Of The Voiceless Grave”, on August 11, 2017 via Century Media Records worldwide, the band is excited to share with fans the first single, “Vortex Spawn”. Vocalist Tomas Lindberg gave insight on the song’s meaning by stating, “To us, this track sums up all the raging, interstellar evil that we tried to convey with this album. We want the riffs to slither out of your speakers like torrents of tentacles, crowned in festering doom. The vocals pulsating with aeons of filth and death. Spewing out of its cosmic, voiceless grave: the “Vortex Spawn”. Timeless Death” Take a listen... 

Phoenix, Arizona Progressive Rock band Paranova, who met 100% of their goal on Pledge Music will independently release their debut record titled Hyperhollow on July 7th. Their single “Headline” has already caught the attention of local radio station ALT AZ 93-3 who spun the song on the Homegrown with Mo Show. Paranova will be hitting the road this month on a headlining run in support of the new release.  

1989 marks the year of birth of New Jersey’s spacerock legends MONSTER MAGNET. Three years after their first EP on Glitterhouse, the band released their official debut album “Spine Of God” on Caroline Records, which became a full on genre classic literally in an instant. The original debut album “Tab” was recorded a year earlier then “Spine of God”, but only saw the light of day because of the overwhelming success of its actual successor.