Jeff Loomis - New album coming soon

Plains Of Oblivion, the brand-new upcoming album by US shredder Jeff Loomis is set to be release on April 9th (EU) and 10th (USA).

Guest musicians for the album are announced to be Vegard Sverre "Ihsahn" Tveitan (ex-Emperor, Ihsahn) Christine Rhoades (Nevermore), Marty Friedman (ex-Cacophony, ex-Megadeth), Tony MacAlpine (Planet X, ex-Steve Vai), Chris Poland (ex-Megadeth) and Attila Vörös (Nevermore)

Plains Of Oblivion tracklist:

01. Mercurial [feat. Marty Friedman]
02. The Ultimatum [feat. Tony MacAlpine]
03. Escape Velocity
04. Tragedy And Harmony [feat. Christine Rhoades]
05. Requiem For The Living [feat. Attila Vörös]
06. Continuum Drift [feat. Chris Poland]
07. Surrender [feat. Vegard Sverre "Ihsahn" Tveitan]
08. Chosen Time [feat. Christine Rhoades]
09. Rapture
10. Sibylline Origin

King Diamond - Returning to the Stage

Danish heavy metallers King Diamond have announced on their official website that they will be returning to the stage soon, after joining forces with Nick Storch at ICM and Paul Ryan at The Agency Group to book new shows. 

Statement from King Diamond: "Hail to all of you, it has just been confirmed that King Diamond has joined forces with Nick Storch at ICM and Paul Ryan at The Agency Group. Nick Storch will be in charge of booking King Diamond concerts in North and South America, and Paul Ryan will be in charge of booking King Diamond concerts in Europe and rest of world."

"It is great to be in the top professional hands of Nick and Paul. They both come highly recommended by Brian Slagel of Metal Blade, who personally suggested the partnership that is now in effect. ICM and The Agency Group have so much combined experience, which will open new doors for us. When it comes to getting us back on stage again, we all agree on how to bring King Diamond to a whole new level. Within a few weeks, we should be able to announce the first part of our plan. Welcome on board and stay heavy."

"There'll be a lot more great news coming the next couple of weeks. It's been difficult keeping everything under wraps, but soon it will all be out in the open. I want to thank you for your amazing patience. We will get back to the Skype sessions in not too long as well."

BURZUM ALBUM RELEASING SOON

Norwegian black metal one-man band Burzum has announced the release of a new album entitled Umskiptar in May via Byelobog Productions. The artwork and tracklist of the album were also revealed.


Varg Vikernes posted the following on the band's official website: "Burzum persists. A new Burzum album, titled Umskiptar (Metamorphoses), is scheduled for release in May 2012 on Byelobog Productions. Umskiptar consists of 65 minutes of skaldic metal, recorded in Grieghallen Studio in Bergen in September 2011." 

"The lyrics on Umskiptar are all taken from a Norse poem, Völuspá. For an English translation of the lyrics see the book Sorcery And Religion In Ancient Scandinavia."
Umskiptar tracklist:

01. Blóðstokkinn
02. Jóln
03. Alfadanz
04. Hit Helga Tré
05. Æra
06. Heiðr
07. Valgaldr
08. Galgviðr
09. Surtr Sunnan
10. Gullaldr
11. Níðhöggr

Judas Priest - To Release The Complete Albums Collection

On January 24th, Columbia/Epic/Legacy will release a 17-CD box set, The Complete Albums Collection, which contains every studio and live album that featured the classic Judas Priestline-up of Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing and Ian Hill. 

Included will be brand new remasters of Judas Priest first two albums, 1974's Rocka Rolla and 1976's Sad Wings Of Destiny (which have never been released before as authorized remasters by the band), in addition to each individual album being packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album's original cover art. And although the 2009 live compilation A Touch Of Evil - Live is included, no other compilations will be present. Also featured in the set will be a 40-page booklet with photos, album credits, and liner notes by rock journalist/Judas Priest fan Greg Prato.



Here are the albums included in The Complete Albums Collection:

01. Rocka Rolla (1974)
02. Sad Wings Of Destiny (1976)
03. Sin After Sin (1977)
04. Stained Class (1978)
05. Killing Machine (1978)
06. Unleashed In The East (1979)
07. British Steel (1980)
08. Point Of Entry (1981)
09. Screaming For Vengeance (1982)
10. Defenders Of The Faith (1984)
11. Turbo (1986)
12. Priest... Live! (1987)
13. Ram It Down (1988)
14. Painkiller (1990)
15. Angel Of Retribution (2005)
16. Nostradamus (2008)
17. A Touch Of Evil - Live (2009)

Metallica - 3D Movie Officially Confirmed

US metallers Metallica have confirmed on their official website that a 3D movie is in preparation and it's planned to be released in 2013. The band posted the following message: "As you know, we generally make it a policy not to comment on gossip or rumors, but we also pride ourselves on being first with 'Tallica news. So, with that said, the more astute of you may have noticed a couple of mentions in trade publications, and most recently in the new issue of Rolling Stone, that a Metallica 3D movie is in the works. We're here to tell you that, yes, there is indeed a 3D project in the very early stages of production!" 

"We wish we could tell you more right now, but we don't have all the finer points nailed down just yet. What we can tell you is that we are planning on being in a theatre near you sometime in 2013 and as you hear us say ever so often, this will be the space for all the details as we finalize them."

Iron Maiden To Release New Live Album/DVD

Yes! Those of us still waiting for a proper showcase of Iron Maiden’s epic ‘Final Frontier’ tour from last year will be stoked to hear that the tour is finally getting the live album and DVD treatment!

Where you’re pretty much the greatest metal band of all time, there can never be enough live DVDs, so the news that Iron Maiden’s brilliant ‘Final Frontier’ tour is getting a live album/DVD release is nothing less than badass.

And, even better than that, the live set, titled ‘En Vivo!’, was filmed at the Estadio Nacional in Santiago, Chile, which basically means we get to see Iron Fucking Maiden do their thing in front of one of the most legendarily mental crowds in the world. Oh yes.


“For The Final Frontier Tour it was really important to me that we filmed in South America as we’re always so overwhelmed by the fans’ reaction when we go to that part of the world and I wanted to reflect that in the filming,” says iconic Maiden bassist Steve Harris. “After much consideration we chose the Santiago show as we felt it was one of our best performances of the entire tour and to play at the prestigious Estadio Nacional was a landmark moment for us. For reasons known to our fans, it took a long time before we got to play our first show in Chile, and once we did get to play a show, the response was so phenomenal we just had to keep coming back and it’s got better and better each time!


The tracklisting for the set is as follows:

DVD DISC ONE “LIVE AT ESTADIO NACIONAL, SANTIAGO” (approx running time 120 mins)
1. Satellite 15
2. The Final Frontier
3. El Dorado
4. 2 Minutes To Midnight
5. The Talisman
6. Coming Home
7. Dance Of Death
8. The Trooper
9. The Wicker Man
10.Blood Brothers
11.When The Wild Wind Blows
12.The Evil That Men Do
13.Fear Of The Dark
14.Iron Maiden
15. The Number Of The Beast
16. Hallowed Be Thy Name
17. Running Free

BONUS DISC – DVD DISC TWO “BEHIND THE BEAST” (approx running time 102 mins)1.Behind The Beast documentary
2.Satellite 15…The Final Frontier promo video (director’s cut)
3.The Making of Satellite 15…The Final Frontier promo
4.The Final Frontier World Tour Show Intro

Meshuggah - Album Title Revealed

After announcing the release date of their new album, Swedish technical metallersMeshuggah and Nuclear Blast have made the following announcement via Facebook: "Meshuggah have chosen Koloss as the title to their eighth studio album, set for North American release on March 27th and European release on March 23rd via Nuclear Blast Records." 

"Drummer Tomas Haake has issued the following warning: As always, we try to take our music in a slightly different direction with each album and with Koloss we feel that we really nailed what we were going for. Organic brutality, viscera and groove all crammed into a 54-minute metalicious treat, best avoided by the faint of heart!"

CANNIBAL CORPSE: Reigning Kings Of Death Metal Set To Release Twelfth Studio Album

America's reigning kings of brutality, CANNIBAL CORPSE, will unleash their twelfth studio offering this March via Metal Blade Records. Aptly titled Torture, the follow-up to 2009's Evisceration Plague offers up 12 tracks of maniacally precise, soul-searing death metal. Torture was again produced by Hate Eternal's Erik Rutan at his own Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as well as Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and features the maniacal cover art by longtime CANNIBAL CORPSE artist, Vincent Locke.

While Torture marks the latest progression in the band's sound, it also witnesses a return to what drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz accurately terms "the frenzied attack of Butchered At Birth (1991) or Tomb Of The Mutilated (1992)," infusing the band's advanced musicianship with the raw savagery that haunted their earlier releases, and in the process conceiving the definitive CANNIBAL CORPSErecord. Adds bassist Alex Webster on the outcome of the record: "We're extremely happy with howTorture turned out. Erik Rutan did an amazing job with the production, and the songwriting and performances may be our strongest yet. We can't wait until our fans get to hear the whole thing!"

Torture Track Listing:
01. Demented Aggression

02. Sarcophagic Frenzy

03. Scourge of Iron

04. Encased in Concrete

05. As Deep As the Knife Will Go

06. Intestinal Crank

07. Followed Home Then Killed

08. The Strangulation Chair

09. Caged…Contorted

10. Crucifier Avenged

11. Rabid

12. Torn Through

As a precursor to the release, CANNIBAL CORPSE will perform a special one-off show at the Culture Room in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 22nd then head to the seas to take part in this year's edition of the 70,000 Tons Of Metal Cruise. The band will get a short break before a near month-long march through Europe on the Full Of Hate 2012 tour with labelmates Behemoth.

Torture

will be released in North America on March 13, 2012.

Megadeth - Headlining Metalfest 2012

US thrashers Megadeth will headline the Metalfest 2012, playing exclusively at the Metalfest Open Airs in Germany, Austria, Croatia, Italy, Poland and Czech Republic.

Metalfest 2012 will take place in 7 countries and 8 different locations in Austria, Germany (East and West Germany), Poland, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and Czech Republic in the months of May and June. The bands confirmed to play on Metalfest 2012 so far are:Megadeth, In Extremo, Blind Guardian, Kreator, W.A.S.P., Behemoth, Fear Factory,Hypocrisy, Legion Of The Damned, Dark Tranquillity, Saltatio Mortis, Ensiferum, Alestorm,Death Angel, Triptykon, Lake Of Tears, Vader, Swallow The Sun, Skull Fist, Hate, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Feuerschwanz, Mystic Prophecy and Nachtblut.

PRIMAL FEAR's new album releasing this week

German power metal band PRIMAL FEAR are coming up with there new album "UNBREAKABLE" releasing on 20th January. The songs are fulll of riffs and amazing solos. 

Tracklist : 01. Unbreakable (Part 1) 02. Strike 03. Give 'Em Hell 04. Bad Guys Wear Black 05. And There Was Silence 06. Metal Nation 07. Where Angels Die 08. Unbreakable (Part 2) 09. Marching Again 10. Born Again 11. Blaze Of Glory 12. Conviction 13. Night Of The Jumps [limited edition bonus] 14. Bad Guys Wear Black [video] [limited edition bonus]