The 80’s were a magical time for the growth of heavy metal, but I believe Operation: Mindcrime is one of the prime examples of why that era still is fondly remembered. Alongside Melissa by Mercyful Fate and Ride the Lightning by Metallica, Operation: Mindcrime made waves for the bands that followed, creating a waves of influence felt through the next few decades. It was also imperative to progressive metal as a whole, and while being a conceptual album and debatably what we call “prog metal” today, it still remains the middle ground between traditional heavy metal and what Dream Theater would solidify in the following year. So with Geoff Tate and friends getting together to celebrate 30 years of this timeless... 

Comics titan Mark Millar and Olivier Coipel (Amazing Spider-Man, Thor) launched Netflix’s THE MAGIC ORDER #1 last week to overwhelming critical acclaim and fan enthusiasm and, as reported upon by Deadline.com, broke industry records with some of the highest pre-order numbers in two decades.  

I can’t say that I’ve ever seen Fleshgod Apocalypse before. Granted, I know their whole schtick: suits, blast beats, opera singing… That’s a normal thing for them, but in anything death metal it’s anything but. Save for maybe one or two bands you can compare the band to, nobody does it like Fleshgod Apocalypse. Truthfully, the band have been doing a great, very consistent job of touring frequently, but upon being put on before The Black Dahlia Murder on their co-headliner tour with Whitechapel, you knew the band were about to tap into a market of unparalleled potential for them.  

Metal Blade Records is happy to announce the signing of Skull Pit, a new band featuring the talents of Mem V. Stein (Exumer) and Tatsu Mikami (Church Of Misery)!  

MACHINE MAN RECORDS is pleased to announce the 18-track remix album from CHMCL STR8JCKT, appropriately titled “RMX”. Available on CD and Name Your Own Price digital download via MACHINE MAN RECORDS’ Bandcamp site.  

Know, oh prince, that in the year 1970, CONAN THE BARBARIAN, sword in hand, slashed his way into four-color life. This January, ahead of Conan’s triumphant return to Marvel Comics, Marvel is proud to announce the release of CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS. Fully remastered, this tome features Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith’s ground-breaking adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s iconic character.  

This September, to celebrate the launch of the highly anticipated blockbuster action video game Marvel’s Spider-Man exclusively on PlayStation 4, not only will the game’s version of the wall-crawler be showcased in a set of five variant covers  

Originally serialized in ISLAND, cartoonist Grim Wilkins’ (PROPHET: EARTH WAR) experimental fantasy adventure series MIRENDA will be collected in an oversized trade paperback this October.  

Portland doom quartet USNEA announce Fall 2018 tour dates throughout North America. The band continues to tour in support of their recent full-length album Portals Into Futility. The tour commences September 9 in Boston, MA, ends September 21 in Washington D.C and includes two dates with Monolord plus a performance at Basilica Soundscape. A full list of tour dates is available below.  

Yob’s latest album, Our Raw Heart, has been receiving high marks all across the metal community. I myself chimed in last week with nothing but praise for this accomplishment, and the hype is absolutely real for this beast of an album. With a North American tour with Bell Witch recently underway, things are looking great for the Oregon doom trio. Before heading out, I was able to catch up with bassist Aaron Rieseberg, who was able to give us some insighto n the going ons with the band, the new album, and the upcoming tour.  

What goes bump in the night? The answer might surprise you…When Spider-Man made his return from an alien world some years ago, he didn’t just come back with new adventures under his belt – he also returned with a special new costume! But Peter soon learned that the costume was more than just a suit…it was a living alien symbiote, and one who had set its sights on bonding to him permanently. Despite rejecting the suit that would eventually become Venom, Peter had no idea that late at night, the symbiote had its own ideas…  

You asked for it – you got it! In response to popular demand, one of Marvel’s most acclaimed books is returning to the Marvel Universe along, featuring the return of best-selling and award-winning writer Jeremy Whitley along with brand new art by Gurihiru (The Unbelievable Gwenpool)!