Following a few months off the grid after an action-packed first half of 2013, Vancouver’s BAPTISTS, announce their return to the front lines in 2014.  

ENGLAND – Following the band’s recent appearance on the inaugural voyage of the ‘Progressive Nation at Sea’ cruise, the UK’s heralded rock group, Anathema, has announced a U.S. tour for March as special guests of Finland’s, HIM. The tour marks just the second proper North American run for the acclaimed group, after a successful tour last September/October which Billboard.com called “powerful… no one walked away disappointed.”  

Louisiana Music Hall of Fame members, Lillian Axe, will be releasing their thirteenth album, the acoustic live, One Night in the Temple, produced by Steve Blaze, on April 15, 2014 via CME Records / Sony Music (RED) in the USA and Canadaand via Melodic Rock Records / Cargo Distribution for the world.  

Tuesday, months since the initial hearing and arraignment, as well as a prior claim of Not Guilty, Tim Lambesis (frontman to As I Lay Dying) has plead guilty to attempting to hire a hitman to kill his wife of 8 years.  

In addition to the sixteenth installment of their massive annual gala in Massachusetts this April, the promoters of the NEW ENGLAND METAL & HARDCORE FESTIVAL today declare their plans of taking over this year’s SXSW at the other end of the country with a massive public showcase.  

The hooded hooligans of Creepsylvania, GHOUL, are bursting blood vessels to finally announce the second installment of the Weapons Of Most Destruction Tour! Set to launch this April,  

At the beginning of April, Relapse Records will dispatch the new, self-titled LP from Portland, Oregon-based crust brigade, NUX VOMICA, the label debut from the underground heavyweights, and first full-length from the band in over five years.  

Private Judgement Day, the newest bone-breaker from Russian death metal slam monsters ABORTED FETUS is out now on Comatose Records. The band’s third full-length picks up right where 2010’s Fatal Dogmatic Damage left off.  

One of my favorite throwback sounding doom bands ever is Pilgrim! Their First album was a heavily, haze laden journey that was a great first album for them. Hopefully this second record has a bit more depth, and they have put even greater efforts into it. About the only flaw was it was simple and never went further than what you initially heard. This album should show some much welcomed growth from these guys, and I am very excited to see this come out.  

New Jersey’s MIDNITE HELLION is proud to announce the release Bitchin’ At Champs! 11-15-2013 on Contaminated Tones as part of the label’s official live bootleg series, exclusively on cassette. With a layout done in old school cut-and-paste DIY fashion, the six-track cassette captures MIDNITE HELLION blazing away on stage. Probably one of the coolest special releases this year!  

Recharged Italian label Minotauro Records has announced the upcoming release of The Last Neanderthal from Portland, Maine’s heavy metal doom rockers OGRE on February 21 in Europe and March 8 in North America.  

BELGIUM – Belgium’s leading black metal force, Enthroned, returns with a new studio album entitled, Sovereigns. The follow up to the critically acclaimed, Obsidium (2012), is scheduled for a worldwide April 15 release via Agonia Records. Sovereigns was recorded and mixed in Enthroned’s own studio, Blackout Multimedia. The album will be available in: digipack CD, black vinyl, bone-white vinyl with green splatter limited to 100 hand numbered copies and exclusive BOX CD limited to 333 hand numbered copies (including: the new album released in exclusive jewel case edition, embroidered patch, flag and a lighter with band’s logo). Pre-orders are up now at: https://www.agoniarecords.com/index.php?pos=shop&lang=en. Sovereigns...