Iconic guitarist MARTY FRIEDMAN is ecstatic to announce his first tour of North America since 2003 — a 21-date headlining run that will kick off Sept. 9. The trek marks the latest leg of FRIEDMAN’s ongoing world tour in support of “Inferno,” his Billboard-charting, critically acclaimed solo album that so far has seen him complete a record-breaking tour across South America; perform extensively in Europe with acts such as Gus G. (Firewind, Ozzy Osbourne), Arch Enemy and Kreator; and play multiple high-profile gigs in his current home country of Japan, including a set at the country’s largest heavy metal festival, Loud Park.  

Death Metal horde WARFATHER will enter Mana Studios this week to begin tracking the as-of-yet untitled follow up to 2014’s Orchestrating the Apocalypse. The band’s sophomore full-length album will be released on Greyhaze Records.  

Coheed and Cambria release their new album, The Color Before The Sun, on Oct. 9 via 300 Entertainment. The band is giving fans an early listen, streaming the song and lyrics for “You Got Spirit, Kid” via Coheedandcambria.com, with the digital download of the single available globally on July 10.  

Jeff Scott Soto is one of today’s premier rock frontmen and vocalists and a union of hotshot young musicians: Jorge Salan (lead guitar), BJ (keyboards, guitars), David Z (bass) and Edu Cominato (drums), bring you a slamming blend of melody and muscle in some of the freshest power metal to surface in years present. Together they are SOTO. Upcoming SOTO ‘Live In The Vertigo’ tour dates:  

40 years, and still holding strong, I like to think that Rush has another 40 still in them after all this time. What I like to call the Canadian musketeers, this trio hailing from Willowdale, Toronto, Ontario, Canada conducted their 40th anniversary tour showcasing their legacy as Rock N Roll hall of famer’s.  

Michigan City, Indiana’s own YELLOWTOOTH will release Crushed by the Wheels of Progress July 21 on Orchestrated Misery Recordings. Stream album tracks “Season’s End” and “Climbing the Mountain“, and enter the contest for a chance to win the CD, at this location. Pre-order Crushed by the Wheels of Progress here. Crushed by the Wheels of Progress contains eight tracks of bone-splintering, swamp-soaked groove. Dark and heavy with memorable songwriting, the sophomore release is one hell of a jam! The CD was recorded at BANG STUDIOS in Chesterton, Indiana with John Hehman (guitarist for YEAR OF DESOLATION). The band looks to share the stage with labelmates PSYCHOMANCER this summer and... 

Louisiana road warriors, GOATWHORE, are currently crumbling stages across the country on a North American headlining tour that commenced last month. With support from Ringworm, Black Breath and labelmates Theories, the epic journey will consume over three-dozen venues upon its conclusion on July 12th. Additionally, the band will take part in this year’s Gwar B-Q in Richmond, Virginia in August as well as Knot Fest in San Bernardino, California in October.  

Front cover illustration of the album was done by Gustavo Sazes, known for his work for  Kamelot, Morbid Engel Amaranthe or Gus G. For more info go to http://cargocollective.com/gustavosazes  

Canadian underlords of nihilistic warrior cult death metal ADVERSARIAL have crawled up from the depths to unleash Death, Endless Nothing and the Black Knife of Nihilism. The band’s first full-length since 2010’s All Idols Fall Before the Hammer offers nine tracks of hellishly twisted aural blasphemy.  

Los Angeles, California’s ARMORED SAINT will join back up with the legendary Saxon for some additional shows in the US this fall to continue touring in support of their highly acclaimed seventh studio album Win Hands Down. The disc is all things ARMORED, a vintage crush of classic power propelled by a cathartic blast of life in the year 2015.  

As the imminent release of Feral, the brand new full-length from long-running UK crust metal crossover crew, HELLBASTARD, draws ever closer, today they sear the ears of the willing with a stream of second track, “Outsider Of The Year“.  

Wisconsin-based, scream-laden hardcore crossover hooligans, ZEBRAS – who features within their ranks members of Those Poor Bastards and Call Me Lightning (French Kiss/Revelation Records) — will release their brand new full-length next month via Secret Records.