Firebrand After Dark Issue 13 - July

Issue 13 - July 2014

PLUS Onslaught (Hed)P.E Channel Zero Hellyeah Karma To Burn Pantheon I Day Of Doom

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04 - News 09 - Top 5 Videos 11 - Top 5 Album Covers 40 - Games Dungeon 44 - Watch Dogs Review 64 - Top 20 Chart 68- Gig Listing

- King Of Asgard - Grave Digger - Misfits - Day Of Doom - Abaddon Incarnate - Wovenwar - Vile Regression

26 - Onslaught (Live Review) 49 - Steel Prophet - Amberian Dawn 50 - Haemophagus - Shaved Women 51 - Karma To Burn - Sacrocurse 52 - Midnight - Pantheon I 53 - Ad Patres 54 - Channel Zero 55 - Emptiness - Mefisto 56 - Incubus

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57 58 59 60 61 62 63

- Devangelic - Johnny Touch - Wretched - Rainbows Are Free - Cocksure - The Black Waterside - Chronosphere - Hellyeah - (Hed) p.e - Venowl - Capilla Ardiente - Abolition A.D - Deus Otiosus

*All content and layout are copyright of Firebrand Magazine. Any attempt to distribute Firebrand Magazine to another site for purposes of download is strictly prohibited. All Firebrand Magazines are property of Firebrand. *

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Meet The Team!

Editor In Chief Rick Palin

The only thing currently hotter than the weather right now is the great music that keeps coming through and as the heat continues to rise its only fair to crank up the bbq, crack open a few cold ones and download the Firebrand app so that you can listen to the awesome music gracing the airwaves via our radio station with shows geared up to play all spectrum's of the music scene and everything in between while crashing out outdoors and making the most of the sun before the weather returns to being its normal miserable self..

Senior Media Consultant Rachel Whiston Editor Lee Walker Reviews Team Aaron Price Anthony Clegg Gavin Griffiths Graham Pritchard Joey Lowebins Phil Kane Rob Birtley Stephen Brophy Stoodge McNulty Download Content Team Rick Palin Judith Fisher Content Download sales@firebrandrr.co.uk Advertising Enquiries sales@firebrandrr.co.uk Review Requests afterdark@firebrandrr.co.uk

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NEWS

UK Supermetallers Monsterworks to Release Overhaul August 26

Eat Lead and Die Music is pleased to announce the impending release of Monsterworks Overhaul on August 26, 2014. The album will be available as a download and 180g gatefold vinyl signed by the band, with lyrics.

GunShyAssassin.com has posted the exclusive premiere of album track "Trial of the Sentient." Listen now at this location.

Vocalist/Guitarist Jon had this to say about the themes surrounding the album: "This is our follow up to Monsterworks: Universe from earlier this year. It was hard to go thematically vaster than the Universe, so we took a step back and started looking at mankind and civilization itself. Overhaul is effectively about the change we have to go through as a species in the hope of avoiding annihilation. There are definitely some common themes being explored that started to emerge in the last album; mostly about projecting where we will ultimately end up by the time the Universe ends in a few trillion trillion years or so. This side of it was inspired by an Asimov short story: The Last Question.

Musically, this one is a little more stripped back and is perfect as the first release we will do on vinyl. Releasing an LP is particularly exciting for the band and special thanks go to James Plotkin for handling the mastering. James has a vast body of work, but recently did the re-masters for ISIS (awesome post-metal band, not Islamist loons) which are great.

We continue to aim to produce music/lyrics that will exercise the grey matter, but first and foremost this is a metal album we are really proud of."

Read the complete set of lyrics from Overhaul at the link below.

(PDF will open in new tab) http://public.supermetal.net/MonsterworksOverhaul-Lyrics_140702.pdf

have just released new album Sexually Transmitted Torture on Ossuary Industries. The follow up to 2012's ...The Dissection of Christ is a beastly, blood thirsty slab of Death Metal atrocity that rattles the bones and eviscerates any semblance of human civility.

In addition to guitarist Michael Langner taking over the lead vocal spot, Sexually Transmitted Torture features guest vocals on "I Can't Believe She Got in the Van with Me" (Jeffery Sisson of Troglodyte, Stephen Babcock of Diskreet/Gornograpy), "Inserted Vaginal Castration Device" (Adam Mitchell of Hammerlord, Sisson), and "55 Gallon Crypt" (Sisson).

Sexually Transmitted Torture Device was engineered and mixed by Adam Mitchell at Hammerfarm Studios in Lawrence, KS and mastered by John Script (Massive Mastering). All songs were produced and written by Torn The Fuck Apart. Album artwork comes courtesy of Karl Dahmer.

Stream Sexually Transmitted Torture in its entirety at tornthefuckapart.bandcamp.com

Sickening Horror sign with Deepsend Records / Overflow coming this Fall

Greek extreme metal outfit Sickening Horror have signed with Deepsend Records for the release of the band's third album, Overflow.

Overflow combines dissonant riffs with psychedelic melodies to create an all-encompassing metal journey. Adopting more groove and less technicality finds these Greeks crafting a much more memorable experience with Overflow. The riffs are still mindbending without being dizzying to the point of exhaustion. You see, less is more. Don't let the title fool you. This is not an overflow of technical prowess for the sake of being technical. This is metal for metal's sake. Plain and simple. While you shouldn't expect an all-out blasting assault, there certainly are moments where the BPMs are kicked into overdrive and of course there always will be a technical aspect to the band's albums, just not as prominent on Overflow. In 40+ minutes, Overflow will make you discover a new dimension in extreme metal! If Cynic played death metal, Overflow very well could have Torn The Fuck Apart: Sexually Transmitted been conceived in that realm.

Torture Out Now on Ossuary Industries / Full Album Streaming

Kansas City Death Spreaders Torn The Fuck Apart

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A Breach Of Silence reveal "The Darkest The Darkest Road is scheduled to be released on October 7, 2014.

Road" cover art, track list - new studio album out October 7 on Eclipse Records song snippets released Goatwhore Premieres Official "Baring Australian powercore-metal pioneers, A Breach Of Teeth For Revolt" Silence have revealed the cover art and track listing for their upcoming sophomore album The Darkest Road, out October 7 on Eclipse Records (Mushroomhead, Our Last Enemy, Bobaflex). The cover art was designed by Gabriel Serbanescu, who also designed art for the band’s 2013 debut album, Dead or Alive.

Additionally, a mix of four song snippets from the album has been posted online at this location.

The track listing for The Darkest Road is as follows: 1. T.P.N.E 2. The Darkest Road 3. Vultures 4. Silhouette 5. Hang ‘em High 6. In Reality We Trust 7. Lost at Sea 8. This is the End 9. Immortal 10. Hannibal 11. A Place I Know 12. Dead and Destroyed 13. Krazy B!tch 14. Time Still Remains For this, their sophomore album, A Breach Of Silence brought back legendary Swedish producers Fredrik Nordstrom and Henrik Udd (Bring Me the Horizon, Arch Enemy, In Flames) flying them “down under” to record at Acolyte Studios in Brisbane, Australia. The masters were later mixed at the infamous Studio Fredman in Sweden. A Breach Of Silence are known for their unique mix of modern metalcore and power-metal vocal breakdowns which many of their fans refer to as ‘Powercore’. Clocking in at over 56 minutes, The Darkest Road delivers fourteen tracks of technical, impressive songwriting that will forever be remembered as the band’s defining moment in music history.

Breach Of Silence was thrown into the spotlight when they won Australia’s prestigious Q Music Award (2012) in the Best Heavy Song category. Shortly thereafter, the band inked a worldwide, multi-album deal with Eclipse Records, released their debut album Dead or Alive (October, 2013) and have toured with bands such as Born of Osiris, Adept, The Amity Affliction, and Upon a Burning Body. In March of 2014, the band released their controversial Night Rider ‘first-person shooter’ music video which was inspired by their obsession with FPS video games and 1960’s classic westerns such as Hang ‘em High and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

The nefarious sound serpents in Goatwhore are pleased to unleash the official video for "Baring Teeth For Revolt," from their recently unveiled fulllength, Constricting Rage Of The Merciless.

Now dominating Vice's music portal, Noisey, the high-speed raging performance video was shot at the infamous House Of Shock in New Orleans by lauded videographer David Brodsky of My Good Eye (Hell Yeah, Whitechapel, Cannibal Corpse, Municipal Waste et al) and wholly captures the band's bludgeoning live energy.

Comments Noisey: "…they're far from conventional, flirting with the sounds of some of the local heroes mixed in with more obvious influences in the thrash and black metal. The latest single and video for 'Baring Teeth For Revolt' is more ripping, groovy black thrash, some that could only come from guys involved in bands like Crowbar, Soilent Green, and Acid Bath."

Scathe your eye holes to the audio/visual enormity of "Baring Teeth For Revolt," here: http:// noisey.vice.com/blog/goatwhore-baring-teeth-forrevolt-video-premiere Constricting Rage Of The Merciless, the latest full-length from blackened death thrash behemoths, Goatwhore, debuted at #81 on Billboard's Top 200 chart, toppling their last entry position of #171 with Blood For The Master.

Additionally, Constricting Rage Of The Mercilessranked in at #21 on Billboard's Rock chart, #7 on the Hard Rock chart and #13 on the Independent chart! In Canada, the record landed at #151 on the Top 200 Current Albums chart, #25 on the Top Heavy Music chart, #133 on iTunes' Top 200, #20 on iTunes' Rock chart and a crushing #4 on iTunes' Metal chart!

Goatwhore is currently crumbling stages across the US on a Summer-long live infiltration that includes a twenty-two date run on this year's Summer Slaughter tour, scheduled to launch this Thursday!

Additionally, the band will make their way to Europe this Fall/Winter supporting Dying Fetus on an epic journey that will find the band leveling nearly four dozen metropolises. Additional support will be provided by Malevolence and Fallujah.

Currently touring in support of the vicious wares of their Constricting Rage Of The Merciless full-length, which Decibel dubbed, "a blasphemous blast," in an 8/10 review of the record, Goatwhore will celebrate the release with a meet and greet this Wednesday, July 16th at the

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world famous Grill 'Em All brick and mortar restaurant in Alhambra, California. Set to begin at 7:00 pm, fans will have a chance to meet the band, hear the record in full as well as purchase a copy if they haven't already. Grill 'Em All will add to the unhallowed revelry with special Constricting Rage Of The Merciless fries - Hand cut fries smothered in creole gumbo with chicken, smoked sausage, and shrimp! Come hungry, leave possessed.

Peaceville Records Sign White Empress And Release New Album In Conjunction With Pledge Music "Further proof that Paul Allender is one of the foremost masters of infernal riffs and atmospheric filth in metal today, White Empress wield old school grandeur and haunting, arcane extremity like gleaming weapons of sonic refinement. Dark, diverse, lissom and wickedly infectious, theirs is a sound that oozes freshness while dragging us ever deeper into the depths of Hell..." - Dom Lawson Metal Hammer - UK Formed by guitarist Paul Allender - previously of UK titans Cradle of Filth – and with a full band line-up, this new venture into the metal landscape under the moniker of White Empress exudes the depth and ferocity of his prior work whilst pushing new boundaries. Paul’s signature razor-sharp riffing & epic, melodic twists and turns compliment the sumptuously alluring & often demonic voice of Mary Zimmer (Luna Mortis) to create a masterclass in savage yet uplifting metallic darkness.

White Empress’ debut full-length album of forbidden delights, titled ‘Rise of the Empress’, is set for release on Peaceville Records on September 29th. The album was recorded in White Empress’ studio and has been mixed and mastered by veteran producer, Kit Woolven (Thin Lizzy, Cradle Of Filth…).

With Paul’s relentless guitar and Mary’s diverse vocals, ranging from operatic to death metal screams, White Empress is exploring new areas of metal.

Paul Allender says, "White Empress is the link the music scene has been so desperately missing.

The band started writing together two years ago, and have slowly crafted the sound that is White Empress. White Empress has all the best parts of the metal scene rolled up into one band. The music is hard, but emotive. White Empress’ unique style and sound is bringing fresh life to the music scene that it’s been crying out for.”

When Paul relocated to the USA in 2012, in between working with Cradle of Filth, he decided to start work on another project with local musicians in his newly adopted home of Minneapolis, and with his friend, Martin Skaroupka from Cradle of Filth, this soon became White Empress. Having also recently released the acclaimed EP, ‘White Empress’, the

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stage was set for a full-on assault.

White Empress comprise: Paul Allender, formerly the main guitarist and songwriter in Cradle of Filth, vocalist Mary Zimmer from Luna Mortis (and a vocal coach), Will Graney, keyboardist from Damnation Angels, Chela Harper, bass player for Coal Chamber, guitarist Jeremy Kohnmann from The Awakening, and drummer Zac Morris, who’s played with many bands including Ugly Kid Joe. The album is also set to be available through Pledge at http://www.pledgemusic.com/ whiteempress with pledgers able to download a track from ‘Rise of the Empress’.

Set And Setting Reveals Sample Of New Album 'A Vivid Memory' Prosthetic's most recent signing, the Florida-based "post-classical" group Set And Setting, have unveiled the first sample of their new effort "A Vivid Memory," scheduled for a North American release on September 2. Take a peek at the below video showcasing a preview of what's soon to come from the genre-defying instrumental quintet!

Lauded as 2013's "Best Bay Area Breakout Band" by Creative Loafing (Tampa), their debut release "Equanimity" was acclaimed as "a cocktail of intoxicating musicality" (Echoes and Dust). The band, known for their relentless, DIY touring approach, will next be seen on the road completing stints with North and Mouth of the Architect along with an appearance at Florida's Southern Darkness Fest, where they'll perform with the likes of Pelican and Black Tusk. A full list of upcoming dates can be found below.

Stay tuned in the next week for further details on "A Vivid Memory," including the album's debut single!

Death Penalty (Featuring Gaz Jennings of Cathedral) to Release Self-Titled Debut on Rise Above Records September 16th in North America When all is said and done, the art of making people bang their heads comes down to one central component: the riff. The riff has been refined and redefined so many times over the last four decades that ownership of a guitar and half a brain should be all that's required to at least have a decent stab at getting things right, and yet very few people seem capable of tapping into the true essence and ethos of what made Tony Iommi such an all-conquering pioneer and overlord of six-string power and glory.

Over the last 25 years, discerning metal fans may have struggled to pinpoint any bona fide

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Contemporary greats composer and guitarist for UK doom metal legends Cathedral, Gaz Jennings has more than earned the mantle of the modern age's most consistent and supremely talented Riffmaster General. A perennial unsung hero of the heavy underground, Gaz has already contributed a vast number of classic songs to the metallic canon, but when Cathedral finally called it a day in 2013 it looked as if another guitar hero was destined to disappear into the shadows. Gloriously, he has now returned with a brand new band, Death Penalty, and an eponymous debut album that once again proves his absolute mastery of the form.

"When Cathedral split I didn't have any intention of getting another band together," Gaz admits. "I wanted to do a record, because Lee [Dorrian, Cathedral front man and Rise Above Records boss] has been saying for years that he'd give me a deal!

But all my time was taken up writing stuff for Cathedral. I had a few bits and bobs lying around, so I started writing material a few years back and that's where it all started. And now the album is ready to go."

With such a formidable reputation to uphold, it was absolutely vital for Gaz to select the right musicians to work with in his new band. Enter vocalist Michelle Nocon and Fredrik 'Cozy' Cosemans, members of Belgian doom warriors Serpentcult; a band that Gaz greatly admires and fellow Rise Above alumni. Although resident in Belgium, Michelle and Cozy were simply the right people for the job and kindred spirits that Gaz suspected would be perfect for helping him to realize his new musical vision.

With the Death Penalty line-up completed by the addition of another Belgian, bassist Raf Meukens, Gaz was now fully equipped to bring his new band into the spotlight. The first results emerged via a debut seven-inch single, Sign Of Times/Seven Flames, which showcased Death Penalty's fiery blend of old school heavy metal, subtle doom shades and Michelle Nocon's extraordinary vocal talents. The real meat of the matter will be unveiled upon the release of the band's self-titled debut album, a triumphant tour-de-force of pounding heaviness that brilliantly encapsulates everything that Gaz has brought to the table with Cathedral while veering off on a number of new and distinctly compelling tangents along the way. Fans of the NWOBHM era will find themselves instantly entranced by the likes of Howling At The Throne Of Decadence and Golden Tides, while diehard doom acolytes will be immediately reassured that Gaz's ability to pen timeless riffs remains entirely undimmed, as demonstrated on the grandiose grit of Into The Ivory Frost and Children Of The Night.

The final piece of the puzzle slotted neatly into place when Gaz chose a name for the new band.

Anyone that has followed the guitarist's career over the years will recognise that Death Penalty is the title of Witchfinder General's classic 1982 debut album; a record that has long been an essential part of Gaz's inspirational armoury. However, beyond

paying homage to his childhood heroes, he freely confesses that the name was simply the first and only credible option and a telling alternative to the countless terrible band names currently doing the rounds.

Once Death Penalty's debut hits the shops (and the nebulous world of online retail, of course), it seems highly likely that everyone from Cathedral fans and old school diehards to new school doom and psych rock admirers will celebrate the arrival of another truly great heavy metal band for the modern age. Quite content to remain an underground concern, Death Penalty are just beginning their journey into the outer limits of refined riff worship and Gaz Jennings' hopes and expectations are every bit as humble and honest as long-time fans will expect.

Maxdmyz - The Hate Plane New Album Out 18th August 2014 / ‘Grieve’ Single Out 28th July 2014 Patience is a virtue. Having gradually built a loyal following while releasing a brace of albums and a series of EP’s with what can loosely be termed an ‘industrial metal’ focus, the London based quintet Maxdmyz have truly delivered with their brand new opus ‘The Hate Plane’.

With a broader sound palette that draws on acknowledged metal influences such as Pantera, Type-O Negative and Nile, as well as maverick electronicist Squarepusher, ‘The Hate Plane’ is both visceral and intelligent and contains a remarkable diversity of tunes that run the gamut from thrash to progressive and alt.rock with an occasional hint of electro-pop. New songs include the insane intensity of ‘Grieve’ [to be released as a single], the sensitive heart-core of ‘All’, the zombie punk of ‘A.K.A.’ and neo-gothic majesty of ‘Side With Satan’.

Bravura musicianship and a sympathetic production courtesy of Ays Kura give these diverse compositions a satisfying coherence, with one listen to ‘The Hate Plane’ amply demonstrating its wide-ranging texture, feel and integrity as Maxdmyz effortlessly traverse the genres.

But who are Mazdmyz? Frontman Twister has a voice that alternates between the dark romantic baritone of Pete Steele and a brutal death metal energy, while guitarist Skizzy has a playing style that synthesises the power and directness of Rammstein and fluency of Adam Jones [Tool]. Bassist A’Zedd combines the sensitive skills of John Myung [Dream Theater] and insane energy of Robert Trujillo in Infectious Grooves mode; drummer Jamie Tatnell has a personality somewhere between Keith Moon, Budgie and John Bonham and a similarly innovative, eccentric and heavy approach to his craft, and keyboard player Vortex adds additional texture and atmosphere to the band’s sound.

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Metal vids to sink your teeth into

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Casualties Of Cool Mountaintop Darkest Era Beyond The Grey Veil Fire Red Empress Left Unspoken Unbreakable Rock The Nightlife Feat. Herman Rarebell

The Kut MArio Firebrand After Dark

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One of the things that we at Firebrand After Dark have noticed is that we don’t always give credit where it is due to the artwork which accompanies the albums. We would like to address by bringin to you, what the team feel are the best 5 covers of the material which we have reviewed this month. If you have any comments about them please feel free to tweet us @fbadmag, comment on Facebook /FirebrandAfterDark or email us at afterdark@firebrandrr.co.uk

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Abolition A.D

After Death Before Chaos

Amberian Dawn Magic Forest

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Wretched Cannibal Channel Zero Kill All Kings

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Stoodge Mc Nulty speaks to Jonas Albrektsson

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With their third album about to invade the World on 22nd July, Stoodge spoke to Bass player Jonas Albrektsson about the new album “Karg�, how Norse Mythology fits into today's society, and of course....Sweden!

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Your new album 'Karg' gets unleashed on the 22nd July. From what I've heard so far there's definitely a more rugged yet refined rhetoric from the musicianship involved compared to your past two albums. Does the record play out like perpetual explosions like the already released tracks would suggest?

It sure is this way or at least close to it. It's definitely a more explosive and harsh output on this album, more stagnant and personal. More King of Asgard and the approach we've reached during our years of struggle. We've managed to keep the epic parts and reinforced the melodies by implicate them already in the fundament still keeping the nerve present from the previous two albums. I guess it's harder to get into the material on "Karg" than its predecessors but once there with the pieces fallen into place it really and hopefully will satisfy our followers. We're proud of what we present.

is something of devotion, what we ourselves like the most and would like to hear. We clearly uphold and raise our inspirational sources and what we ourselves hold high. We're far from any developers of a new sound, we're rather protectors of the old ways and pay respect to that by doing this. So when looking back on all three albums I think one can see the development, where it's heading and where King of Asgard is set to be.

The band is obviously heavily influenced by Norse Mythology, but how much do the tales of Sea Serpents and Valkyrie's impact your everyday life?

Haha, not many Sea Serpents around these days unfortunately. This would surely enrich my daily life though, if so. So does it impact... not much really, there are for sure things that stayed and are more or less tradition but I unfortunately think that much of it got erased by a certain religion which is a great pity. Some are still around but forged in a different kind. Here in the North I think there's pretty much Again, you brought Andy LaRocque on board to produce the record at Sonic Train Studios. What is still reflecting the past and keep us reminiscent of our great history. We take good care of our heritage it about Andy that you've used him for the third but for certain or specific parallels I'm not really sure. time now?

As a quote from some internet circulating picture Yes, Andy was invited onboard on our longship for says; "Jesus promised the end of all wicked people. the third time as both 'Fi'mbulvintr' and '...to North' was recorded at Sonic Train Studios, but anyway. It's Odin promised the end of all frost giants. I don't see many frost giants around!" a steady relationship we've built up and it's a comfortable and a somewhat safe choice for us as Are there any not so very well known narratives we've got limited recording time in the studio. We about Norse Mythology that would surprise even have returned to Sonic Train Studios and Andy because it is very, as said, comfortable and great to people studying the subject?

No, actually not at all. We are very easy to grasp in work both with him as person, engineer and coproducer as in his studio and also this time we also such a way and only scratches the surface really on the biggest events and legends. It is possible that it got to work with his co-worker Olof Bergren. We could be written in a wrapped and intricate way and have built a strong partnership where both parties therefore appear as a deeper or more unusual are pleased and work very effectively together. We action than it really is. However, what could be this are both driven to constantly take King of Asgard a step further and with Andy as co-producer it gives us way, as a surprise is perhaps, we highlight local topics and assign them onto the world which could a lot and we push ourselves constantly to the ultimate. It has never been said though that it is the only raise an eyebrow of the otherwise unaware. Thus I'd say King of Asgard is more of an messenger and studio for King of Asgard. It's just the way it has herald of our heritage which of the most part contain turned out and the future will show where the next turn will take us. Andy is an awesome dude who has Norse Mythology and the like. the right tools for us as a band to use and thus to accomplish what we want to achieve. Our visits gets How do you prefer King of Asgard to be categorized? I know there's a few bands out there more relaxed and at the same time more who hate the Viking Metal stigma. professional and more effective. We enjoy working Not sure. We actually think it's a quite strange with Andy, as does he with King of Asgard. A great definition with all this viking/folk/pagan etc. but at combination and basic foundation for an even the same time it's the only way to in short describe greater production where he makes realization of music and/or us. We've never stated we are such our visions. actually but many says we are, this and that, Your second album '....To the North' was a straight probably just because it's the easiest way to describe us. According to our name, King of Asgard, lyrical continuation from your debut 'Fi'mbulvintr'. Is 'Karg' again a continuance to complete the trilogy? approach etc. this is of course and obvious where we It's the natural development and continuation of the end up. I see us as a plain black/death metal band band. We get more confident in what we do and thus with a folkish touch. We've focused on this and this being the way we present our music, in a raw and our sound and the approach of King of Asgard is more close to our hearts than ever. What we create direct way, which we feel is closer to the

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interpretation of Norse mythology and the Viking age. I personally don't link that time period with jolly melodies and party tunes which I often believe it turns into with the blending of too much strange instruments and tunes of joy. We've decided to go with the harsch side of it and thus present it in such way and also without such instruments. I hardly see us ever using such instruments either and one reason not being able to use them live. On the other hand I don't see labeling our music is a very important thing as long as our followers get the concept and get into it with an open mind. So, the only important thing for us making our music is that we can stand behind it and feel safe presenting it but if it's more or less metal doesn't really matter. Call it Viking Metal or categorize us in whatever metal you like. What matters is the absence of joy and the comprehension of our followers.

so far tells it is so and that is what I first come to mind. However, what is quite clear and more interesting is that it gets much more attention in the media and from our followers from other countries.

Guess it's somewhat exotic to them and thus attracts interest while this in contrast is natural to us since childhood and everyday life. In this way, I believe, the foreign audiences and the abroad fans is much more dedicated whereas here we take it for granted in a way.

What's your top 5 Swedish Metal albums of all time?

Always brutally tricky as we're fortunate to have a rich collection of such. But today's heart says;

Bathory “The Return...” and all the others Dissection “Storm of the Light's Bane” and the Soberlane With lyrics relating so directly to your homeland Entombed “Left Hand Path” and Clandestine and heritage, is there a distinction when Dismember “Like an Ever Flowing Stream” and performing live in Sweden to elsewhere?

Pieces At the Gates “The Red in the Sky is Ours” and the No, not really, the only and perhaps obvious difference that we have experienced is probably that rest people are much more cautious and reserved than and the non melal and KoA infuential; the rest. We have unfortunately not the greatest Jan Johansson “Jazz på Svenska” experience of abroad live performances but the visits

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Stoodge Mc Nulty chats to

Axel Ritt With their seventeenth album just released, Stoodge caught up with the band's guitarist Axel Ritt to not only converse about “The return of The Reaper�, but also, the return of the Digger..

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You've said before that "Return of The Reaper" is reminiscent of classic Grave Digger albums such as "Heavy Metal Breakdown", "Witch Hunter" and "The Reaper". Can you elaborate on the connection?

Yes! We gave up the concept album idea for now and kept our focus on a fresh, raw and straight album, full of pure heavy metal. So we do have a lot more power on the new record.

Have you noticed a change in audiences since thirty years ago?

To be honest, no. Even the young ones do have their believe in metal and feel the spirit like we did in these days.

With so many albums and releases credited to Grave Digger at this point, is there one release that you'd Are there any surprises on the record for die hard love to go back and record again for any reason?

Grave Digger heads?

I don't think so. Every album stands for it's own and Yes and no. Yes: you'll find in every single song a small became a part of the history. Of course, sometimes you could do better in the end, but what does "better" part, that never had been created on a Grave Digger album. No: it's still the kind of songwriting, performance mean? Sound? Performance? In the days it worked well, so let it as it is. The only reason for re-recordings that and production that made the band that big and what the fans love to hear. makes sense, is to get your rights back from the record companies, like Journey for example did. Making a 1:1 In regards to researching concepts, does this take up copy of your albums and re-distributing it. Makes sense much time? I can just picture a track being laid down in a commercial way. and then someone scurrying to find a tale or narrative Again, sorry for bringing this up fellas, but you've been to fit with it.

Indeed, you can get your inspiration of everything around on the go for a long time. You've seen all the trends you, sometimes big impressions, sometimes small parts and new fangled hype over certain genres and bands.

Is there any aspect attached to the heavy metal in your life. The easier the fan can connect to the content, the better you can reach him. spectrum that you have absolutely despised over the years?

So, seventeen albums now, Holy Hell! Is it not a Well, difficult to say, because it always has been in this nightmare at this stage agreeing on what songs to way, but not in this excessive way. I'm so fed up with these playback bands, who fire up to 70 percent of their perform live?

You're speaking out big words pretty easy. It's horrible, live performance from samplers. I know bands where all every time it comes to that part. In addition to the fans, basses, all keyboards, all choirs, most of the guitars and everybody has his own top 10, so we could easily play 4 some bass drums are done by the Macbook and the "artists" only keep their focus on jumping around with hours to satisfy them all. funny posing and fire up pyro stuff. That’s so pitiful! But because the audience gives a shit about that behaviour On the topic of playing live, how's your touring and hails these comedians as well, why should they ever schedule looking for the rest of 2014? change anything? The people deserve to be deceived ...

We do have the summer festivals at the moment followed by our world tour in autumn this year. And we do the 70000 tons of metal at the beginning of 2015.

Having been active since the early 1980's, what's the major differences in recording now from back then?

The technical aspect has been changed completely by 180 degrees. In the early days, studio equipment was huge and very expensive, so only a few pro-companies could use them. Today, everybody is glueing his production together in his sleeping room, calling himself a producer. It's horrible for new bands, because there is no chance for a new band to live on music or feed a family anymore. Most of them are loosing money with every show they play. Streaming portals like Spotify or Deezer are great for customers, but legal burglary to the artists, so when our generation is gone, the last worldwide rockstars are gone as well and there is nobody in our footprints, because they are forced to earn money with a different job.

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Photo By Reg Richardson

Lee Walker Speaks to

Jerry Only from the

Just before the Misfits took to the stage at Chester’s Live Rooms, Lee caught up with the one and only Jerry Only to discuss what he has planned for the band and the Danzig situation.

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You are just half way through the UK leg of the current tour. How’s it been so far?

We have been to the UK a couple of times pretty recently so these are more off market/b market things away from the main areas like London. Its going well, we are playing well and really that is how I judge a show. I don’t judge a show by how many people show, its more to me on how we are performing so as long as we perform well it is fine by me.

You guys formed over 30 years ago. During that time the music scene has changed countless times with punk continuing to make appearances just as it seemed destined to fade away. Why do you think that punk keeps returning?

Music is music. The same music that was recorded in the 50s is still good today. Songs are songs. I think that is how you need to judge a performer, based on the material that they perform. We have great songs. To me I think our songs are pretty timeless I don’t think time is going to tarnish them at all.

I was going to say that the bands image can only be described as iconic really. How did you come up with it all to begin with?

When we were children we used to be into horror films and Godzilla and aura model kits and things like that and when Glen and I put the band together we tried to be part of the scene a little bit, but it didn’t feel right and it didn’t work for us so we went in our

own direction and I developed the Devillock and did the zombie biker kind of look and we have always had resources as far as machine shops as we build our own equipment, so that’s the one thing that I really admire about our band is that every thing we have and everything we do is basically original so I think in that way we are very unique.

Obviously your skull or ‘Fiend Skull’ as its being called all over the internet seems to have taken on a life of its own popping up in all sorts of places over the years. Did ever think that it would reach such levels of popularly?

I think its going to end up being the number one image on the planet. When alien races come to invade and they see the skull they will say lets catch the next planet. It’s very basic, it’s very binary it says everything with very little. I have tonnes of kids that do art projects in highschool who will do silk screening or photography and they will always be bringing me projects that they have done with the skull and it’s a good feeling. I try to keep the band as low and grounded as possible. It’s funny because if you look at the bands in the 70s when we were growing up such as Queen, Led Zeppelin and Kiss you are always saying ‘oh boy wouldn’t it be great to be a rock star and drive in fancy cars’ and then you realise its all bullshit and you are just fooling yourself and the real things in life have nothing to do with being extravagant and throwing money around and being obnoxious you realise that these are the

Photo By Lee Walker

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least valuable characteristics you can probably have.

I am age 55 and have been doing this for 38 years I started when I was a teenager at age 17 and I realised that the last thing I want to be is a rock star so it’s kind of a bad time to figure that shit out, but the thing is that I tell kids that all the time I see all these young bands that want to open for us and I say ‘how’s school?’ and they say ‘I really don’t care about lessons’ and I say listen to me I have one regret and that which is that I didn’t follow through and do college. I would have really enjoyed college. I enjoyed school, always got good grades, never had to study, I would pay attention in class and I think that paying attention in class is worth more than anything that you can do at home after studying so if you pay attention in class you pick up on things that you remember that so and so said the answer and what Jenny told the teacher as she knew the answer but I didn’t. I remember to this day things that I said in the fifth and sixth grade things I knew and people would say how do you know that and I say that I paid attention when I was learning it. So I think the image is a reality check and the skull is the symbol of the fiends and the oneness of the whole project and the people we influence and the people we touch and the kids we meet after the show and things like that so I think it says it all with one stamp.

You forgot Blondie, that’s my favourite!

That’s excluding the bands that appeared on the ‘Violent World’ tribute album (Prong, NOFX and Sick of It All etc).

I love Sick Of It All

Did you think that you would influence so many bands?

I think that we will influence a lot more. I think that we are just scraping the surface on influentation. I think our last album was our best. I base that on really concept and technical ability as we are getting better we are writing better we are feeling things more we are learning how to incorporate other sounds and other things into our music before it was a garage band and that’s the honest truth we recorded Earth AD in 6 hours so if you can cut an album in 6 hours you really aren’t putting much effort into it I don’t care how hard you play. This album took me a year to really pull it together and it took me about three months to record. We did it in bits and pieces and recorded it in different places and it’s the only thing that I have done that I have listened too and would not change a thing. Since then I have come up with alternate harmonies on top of stuff but based on the time it was recorded it was complete. So thing is now you come up with an interesting vocal twist Did you ever think that you would still be as somewhere from playing it over and over again. I popular now? think that the second coming of the band in many I always thought it would be much more popular than ways. We came back in the 90s and now again (I it is now (laughter) guess a third coming of the band) we have grown and I think that if you don’t grow you stagnate and Did you think that the band would still be going? you die. There is a lot of fans out there, mainly the I thought that we would go forever and that we would older fans that say it was the early years, the original find a cure for all diseases and we would be on our stuff but I think they are just jealous that all the kids way for immortality so we are still here and until that have got there own stuff and its better (laughter). changes I am still Photo By Lee Walker shooting for that. I am shooting to play 50 years so I am looking to play for at least 12 more years.

Over the years you have had your songs covered everyone and anyone, you have had songs covered by the likes of Guns N Roses and Metallica right the way through to My Chemical Romance (if you call them a band)

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I was going to say - there seems to be distinct phases of the band. Do you think there are many differences between the two?

No I think it’s just a transformation. It’s like an evolution. You just keep trying things and it’s like a crab with its shell. After a while it gets too big for the shell it’s in and has to find another shell and move on to continue to grow. I liked everything that we have done up until this point. I think that we are going to be a lot more clever I guess the word would be in the future. We are going to be a lot more creative I know that for a fact and we are going to be something that younger audiences can really sink there teeth into and like I said. If we have influenced one hundred bands now I think that we will probably influence a thousand by the time we are done. I find comfort in that as there are a lot of goals and thresholds that a band of this vision will never achieve. We will never get that number one on the billboard charts and we are not going to get the status unless we move into a different avenue but the thing is for me I don’t want to be able to make that move unless I bring the integrity with it. If I can bring my integrity with me I will go to the moon. If you look at a band like Rammstein, I love Rammstein, they can play a stadium and pull it off. We don’t have the production that these guys got and that is something I want us to start moving into.

More theatrical?

More theatrical and also more visual. We keep it basic we have done shows where there was two lamp bulbs on this side of the stage so that you can

see what you are doing and ripped the place apart which is a weapon in your arsenal that you want to have. You want to be able to walk into a place like this tonight and kill it. We should be able to play any size venue and pull it off with whatever magical tricks that we need to do the job.

In the early years the band Danzig lawsuit mess which seemed to drag on forever (I think they started in the early 80s and ended around 1995).

Lawsuits are based on money. People want money, they value it. To me I always worked a job and I always spent my money towards enhancing my product. The reason I got into a lawsuit with Glen was because I could not play as the Misfits and that bothered me. I didn’t want to see Metallica doing our stuff, I didn’t want to see Guns n Roses doing it. I wanted to play my own stuff. I didn’t want a cheque in my mailbox because some else plays my song I want to play my own goddamn song. You know what I mean (laughter) I went to court and that’s what I took away I gave up the publishing of the old stuff because people say that the sun rises and sets with Glen Danzig and it doesn’t. I don’t care what people say, I am not here for the pat on the back so I took the name and I went and I guess that there is sour grapes now that no one cares about the Danzig stuff and he is now trying to revamp the Misfits stuff. He has got my brother with him and he is working those lines which is fine. The more the merrier I want everyone on the Earth to be playing Misfits music so its fine.

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I was going to say that another lawsuit has popped up again back in May? Is it going to drag on again like last time?

It will drag on for ever but it has no bearing on what I do. The wind blows but the house is made of stone so let the wind blow.

The question that everyone is bound to want to ask you is will we ever see a full Misfits/Danzig reunion?

No. Not unless his message changes. I have a lot of young kids who follow the band and my loyalty is to them and their sovereignty I guess you could say. I wont sell them poison. I won’t sell them something that is going to hurt them. I don’t mind working in the machine shop. I am back there now. My father passed and Doyle was working with my dad for the last ten years. Now he’s not working my dad left him some money so he’s doing whatever it is that he does. He is working with Glen and they seem to be a merry little couple and that’s fine by me. But if Glen’s focus was less on Glen and more on the fans and the band and proliferating forward motion and success. I am not here to take the band on a magical mystery tour of the past at the expense of letting the wolf back in the chicken coop. I think that we stand for so much more than a reunion to be honest with you and I think that we have so much more to offer than doing Astrozombies with Glen.

What do you have planned for the future?

Everything (laughter)

we go to Germany we have bands from Germany that we have played with before be on the Fiend Fest, the same with Australia and not have the same line-up travel around but have a bit more of a territorial thing and giver everyone a chance to play with the misfits on their fortieth anniversary. I still want to write that one song that is going to define the band. I though Descending Angel was really something that came along that I am proud about. I really liked the tie in with the Rock Horror show that we just did. We are doing a Christmas record – we had done three songs and put it out as a single but we missed the retail market for the year so I said lets elaborate on it and instead of saying that we missed the target lets load the gun with something bigger and blow the target apart so we are going to try and get that Christmas album done this summer.

Then we are going to go into full production to do the new album and the covers album which should take us forty something years (laughter). Let’s shoot for fifty years as it’s the next step up the ladder (laughter).

Final question, do you have any messages that you would like to pass onto the fans?

Yes. Work hard and keep the faith and I think that things will go well, keep the ones you love close to you and remember that every minute is one minute that you will never get back and I think that is the most important thing. Do what you believe in and be kind to others.

Do you have any new albums in the pipeline?

Yes we are going to start working on one as soon as we are done with the full tour. I have a couple of songs that I am working on. My son works with me.

We have got a studio in the house and I have got a little girl who is 8 who sang on my last record. We are going to take about a year or so off and are going to really work on it. Another project that I want to work on is that I want to get the bands to cover the older Misfits stuff to work with us and cover new stuff. Not necessarily them covering something new, but say a singer from someone like My Chemical Romance doing songs with the Misfits on a Fiendclub album. We have got a 40 anniversary coming up and we are going to try and have an original album come out as well as this other thing. Then we are going to break the DVD silence and start putting something out along those lines whether it be a documentary thing like Iron Maiden did with Flight 666 where they are covering the world. We are going to tour the world with our 40th anniversary. I am hoping to bring it up to the next level and bring bands on the bill to do a Fiends fest like I have been doing and do a Fortieth Anniversary Fiend Fest with say for the UK we have The Damned and the UK Subs and some of our friends that we always play with play and then when

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Stoodge catches up with Richard Harvey Having recently released their third barrage of New York Death Metal with album “The Gates of Hell�, Richard Hervey the band's drummer and co-vocalist got speaking to Stoodge.

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Your latest album 'The Gates of Hell' has been out for a couple of weeks now. How has the general feedback been?

So far the feedback has been great. We have been getting some really positive reviews and we have had a lot of fans as well as friends in bands telling us they love it.

The album is of course out on Lavadome Productions. How is your relationship with the Czech Label and the few other bands on the roster?

Jan and Lavadome are awesome. They have been incredibly easy to work with. They let us do what we do best, which is destroy, and they back us and have total faith in us, as we do them. We think we have some sick label mates in Beyond Mortal Dreams, Chaos Inception, Perversity and Destroying Divinity.

They are all evil bands and great guys. Everyone should check them out as well at http://www.lavadome.org/

I have to say that the artwork is frigging lethal.

Who's behind that?

The art for the cover was done masterfully with acrylics on paper by Raul Gonzalez, utilizing the visual expressions of the band along with the Lavadome camp. Suggestive collaborations between all of us and the fine artistic skills of Raul helped this Have you found much of a change in the band's masterpiece come to life exactly how we envisioned sound or dynamics over the past few years? it to look.

There is always change in our recipes for musical chaos. We have consistently managed to progress Judging by the track title "Feasting on The Flesh as a band while remaining original. The otherworldly sounds on the new cd are evidence of true of The Godly One's", can I assume you don't do progression, all while bringing you back to a time much in the way of praying? where the true origins of death metal began.

Yeah, it’s safe to say there's no praying from our end. We all know religion is a lie. No need to get into Compared to that of 1999 when the subatomic all of that crap. Now we can watch it collapse as humanity wakes up more and more. Our generation, particles that make up Day of Doom were just especially those who are part of the underground forming, how's the current New York death metal scene, represent the free minds destroyed during scene? the dark ages when Christianity forced its beliefs The New York scene is alive and well and Day of upon the masses by way of the sword. That free Doom is always ready to give our listeners the spirit is back with a vengeance and ready to feast on violent shredding riffs they're looking for. It’s our the flesh of the godly ones. pleasure to twist their minds and swallow their souls!

'The Gates of Hell' is your third full length record and first to be released via a label. Will your first Any odd or interesting facts about the band that two albums 'Night of Horror' and 'Slaves To might not appear on a Google search?

Insanity' ever resurface sometime in the future? Sure … here’s something about our guitarist Doug.

We would love to have them both re-released but Rumor has it that back in the 70's Uncle Creepy only time will tell. As of now we're focusing on The and Elvira had a secret love affair. This led to Elvira Gates Of Hell and crushing it live as well as laying becoming pregnant and having a child that was the groundwork for our 4th full length release, secretly raised by a family in the backwoods of Long Descent of Humanity. But we are definitely hoping to Island, New York. Uncle Creepy still denies the affair, re-release Night of Horror and Slaves To Insanity in but Doug says "That's My Daddy!" the future.

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Voodoo Lounge, Dublin - 13 July 2014 Supported by: Atominated and Artillery Photos and review by Stephen Brophy Onslaught were a band I loved back in the late 80's but I haven't seen them live in Dublin for many years, so with Artillery as support I wasn't going to miss this show. With the World Cup Final clashing on the day it's an early kick off, strange going to a Thrash gig at lunch time on a Sunday, but hey it will be dark inside anyway, so an added bonus of getting home early evening is no bad thing.

First up on the day are local band Atominated who I haven't seen live for a while, so will be interesting to see how they are progressing sound wise now. This is a young Thrash band with a lot of promise, they

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provide a really good start to the day and those that made their way to the venue early are enjoying what they are seeing. Twin guitars, vocal, bass and drums and pounding out some decent tracks I look forward to catching them again soon.

Next up are the Danish legends Artillery (8), awesome to get to see them live, honestly thought I wouldn't get the chance, certainly not in my home town, and wow, they were excellent, not surprising with a catalogue like theirs, but I wasn't expecting the energy levels they hit us with, this is one powerful unit, a blend of experience and youth that works in

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harmony. They must have been having trouble picking the set as I had a glance at a setlist printout and it had at least 4-5 tracks crossed out - the set that we got was however really well blended and covered tracks from the bands history. The title track of the latest album "Legions" is an absolute beast and seemed to go down really well with the crowd. This was quickly followed by the excellent "When Death Comes" the very classy title track from the 2009 release and this is the highlight of the set for me, great track and this band is tight, in Michael Basthol Dahl they have an excellent frontman, and definitely a man that enjoys his work, as do the rest of the band.. There's a very solid backbone here, Michael Stutzer is still the nucleus of the band on guitar, alongside his partner in crime Morten Stutzer, and the pounding bass and drum combo of Peter Thorslund and Josua Madsen. The older tracks that the played like "Khomanic" and the title track from "By Inheritance" are handled extremely well by the newer members of the band, and it's great to hear them, really hope Artillery manage to make their way back to this side of Europe very soon.

And late afternoon is when our headliners hit the stage, Onslaught have survived so many obstacles over the years, lineup changes, labels, etc over the last 6 or 7 years however its been pretty solid, album releases have been of a good quality and I just wondered would we get any of the really old songs off Power From Hell. There was no need to wonder, thisThrashing set was made up of I think pretty

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own order for the setlist, but hey the order doesn't matter as long as the band is thrashing hard like this, this won't go down as the biggest crowd they play to on this Tour, but everyone seemed to be having a really good time, I moved around a bit and there was fist pumping and headbanging from the front to the back, which we don't always see at gigs these days, it's always nice to see people moving their heads at the back of a venue and not just on the stage. This particular set is going to be finished off with tracks from The Force and Power From Hell and there is no doubt that it's going to make everyone happy, "Fight With The Beast" and a rousing version of "Metal Forces" set us up for the killer ending to this early evening the mighty "Power From Hell" and "Thermonuclear Devastation", if anyone doubts what Onslaught is all about in 2014 or if they can still produce the goods then please get

much what any Onslaught fan would want to hear.

Plenty of old mixed in with some newer material, and a real shock for me when they pulled "In Search Of Sanity" out of the bag, and Sy absolutely nailed it.

Favourites of mine started early with "Let There Be Death" coming fourth in the set, and it was powered through, coming into the mid-set we are smashed in the face with a killer version of "Rest In Pieces", along with "Destroyer Of Worlds" and from last years VI album "66 'Fucking' 6". Have got to say Onslaught (9) are looking good, playing really tight and like a machine, this is a really impressive set, and of course we aren't done yet. Sy is on great form, along with the rest of the guys, but some nice banter with the crowd even when he was about to make his

out there and catch them on this Tour, transporting me back to the days of the first two albums and still impressing me with tracks from the latest effort, leaving a venue at 6pm on a Sunday evening may seem a little odd, but when you've had your head mashed and you leave wanting more that's all we should ever ask for from a gig.

Getting to see a local band on the rise and two excellent Thrash/Speed metal bands is a great day out, and long may these guys keep touring and enjoying what they are doing. Onslaught are still a Power From Hell.

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Stoodge Speaks to Steve Maher from

Dublin's Abaddon Incarnate have recently released their new album “Pessimist� on Candlelight Records.

Stoodge spoke to the band's vocalist Steve Maher about their early relationship with the label, and their new record.

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So, your first album in five years 'Pessimist' has been out a couple of weeks now. Have those frowns turned upside down yet with its reception?

Well yes, the reviews from the press have been really good, and the feedback from the fans is positive as well. Its been recorded nearly a year now so I think we are all psyched to start writing for the next one already.

This is your fifth full-length release, and fifth different label also. Is this nomadic nature intentional and is it now Candlelight Record's job to keep you guys on a tight leash?

I hope to continue working with Candlelight, but we need to see how sales go. It sucks hunting for label's, I hope we can establish a long lasting relationship. If not, then there will be valid reasons and we will have to move on.

When did the beginnings of 'Pessimist' start to take shape?

After we did the Phobia split, we had gelled as a band, I mean 'Cascade' wasn't representative of the band yet, Steve F and Johnny were still pretty new in. It was full of cool songs but it was still very metal.

The style of music you hear now is more personal to us all, we started to write a more crust influenced grind and death metal, and it was really after the South American and Russian tour's we started seriously putting the songs together. And I guess around the time we did the house party with meth drinker last summer we had most of it written and gigged it that night. It seemed to go down really well so we continued in that vein.

Is there any particular way that you dudes write material, or is it a case of everyone throwing everything into the blender to see how congealed the result is?

Yeah someone will have a riff or a bunch of riffs and bring them to the studio, we all add input to make it sound a bit nastier or evil and add some more bits and we arrange it all. Finally when its all arranged I'll write the lyrics. I think if one person writes all the music it can sound sterile. Everybody's input is important to make it sound bigger and sometimes a cool idea you may have at home will evolve into something huge after everybody suggest tweaking a few notes here or there.

everybody was wearing leather trousers Emperor and Burzum t-shirt's, nowadays its Amebix shirts and ripped jeans. I don't think we worry about if people still remember us. It's like we have to write our debut over and over. There's so many bands out there, and new music is so accessible these days with computer downloads and YouTube, it's difficult to maintain a presence in the face of new emerging music. There must have been 100 underground bands releasing new cd's last June, and its July now already, Is there any lyrical narratives that are fervent throughout 'Pessimist'?

Depression, loneliness, alienation, isolation, despair, pessimism brought on by alcoholism, drug abuse etc.

If you had to describe the album to folks not accustomed to metal in any shape or form, how would you go about it?

Noisy guitars, fast drums, growling and screaming vocals, beautiful music.

Will Abaddon Incarnate be touring like a bastard until the end of year?

No, we have several one off shows in the UK and Ireland, but Bill is getting married in September so With it being five years since your last album, was he cant tour. Next year 2015 we hope to travel there any thoughts of "Fuck, I hope people still abroad again. I hope to focus on summer fests in remember us" when putting the new record 2015. together?

I never thought of it that way but yeah it feels like because of the time scale a new generation pops out in between albums. So it would be nice to follow up on this one quickly. Its interesting the different values the generations have, 15 years ago

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Stoodge catches up with Josh Gilbert of

Risen from the ashes of As I Lay Dying with addition to Shane Blay of Oh, Sleeper, Wovenwar will be releasing their self titled debut album on Metal Blade Records on 5th August. Stoodge spoke to bass player Josh Gilbert about the coming together of the band and what we should be expecting from the album.

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It's no secret in how and why Wovenwar has come to be. When were the first discussions in regards to the project and how long before it actually came into existence?

About two weeks after the news broke, the four of us met in San Diego to discuss our collective futures. We unanimously agreed that moving forward and continuing to play music was the only option. With most of us having been in the band since our late teens or early twenties, it's really the only thing we know how to do.

mentality was pretty similar, but I think there was a newfound vigor surrounding the record. We were dealing with the aftermath of the demise of AILD and being off tour for about 6 months at that point. For me at least, completing the record was an important part of moving past the negative haze of the events of the past year.

Having already reached such heights with AILD & Oh Sleeper, is there an added drive to get you to that frontier again now with Wovenwar?

Did the songwriting begin straight away?

I think all of us have experienced every facet of touring After deciding we would carry on, yes. We all have small and shows. From playing for 15 people at a VFW hall to studios in our houses, so we started sending songs huge festivals in front of 70,000, we've seen it all. We all back and forth not too long after that. Within a month or understand that we are building something new that will so we had 3 or 4 demos so we started jamming. It was ultimately be much more rewarding, so currently our drive is just to be the best possible musicians we can be. difficult at first not knowing what type of vocalist we I think people will see that and hopefully our fans will see would have, but once we completed arrangement on some of those demos, our vision was becoming a little that. bit more refined. That's when Shane's name was thrown into the mix.

Whilst embedded in this new venture, is there a sense of starting over as a band or does it feel as a continuHow separated from the AILD and Oh Sleeper sound ation from where you've all left off? are the tracks on the record?

I think it's best to look at this as a new band, not a I think naturally, you will hear some clear nods to the riff continuation. We've already been fortunate enough to style of As I Lay Dying since 100% of the music in that have a lot of the fans of our previous band on board with band for the past 10 years was written by the Wovenwar, which is amazing! That existing foundation of musicians in Wovenwar, but we were able to expand fans that have stuck with us through thick and thin and experiment a lot more with tones, dynamics and which has made the process a little easier moving melody this time around. There are moments on the forward. So even though I consider us a new band, I record that will definitely throw back to that sound. As think some of those fans feel as if they went through the for Oh, Sleeper, there is a quieter track on the record whole thing with us, so it’s like we’re starting together. called Father/Son written both vocally and instrumentally by Shane. That track reminds me of You'll be hitting the road in North America with Black some of Oh, Sleeper's vibey tracks. The recording Label Society in the net couple of weeks. Will these process was a whirlwind so Shane didn't have quite as shows be the first opportunity to unleash the new much time to write instrumentals due to having to finish Wovenwar material? vocals and melodies, but we definitely look forward to Yep! We've been practicing furiously to get ourselves in having more guitar influence from Shane in the future. shape to be on stage again. Being on stage playing music is something you take for granted until you've Was it a mutual idea to go with this new direction or been off stage for over a year! We're all itching to play did the sound come to you after a few jams? these songs for you guys.

I think we had hit a wall with where our sound could expand within our genre with our last band, which isn't And after that run, you've a load of other shows necessarily a bad thing. You can sort of hear struggle on coming up including a few over here in the UK. You our last record, more singing verses, etc. There's only guy's aren't doing things in half measures are you? so much room for dynamics when the lead singer of the Haha! Look, we are used to playing over 200 shows per band is capable of screaming and screaming only. So year. In the past year, we've played exactly zero. Us when we began writing for these demos, some of the getting back on the road and playing as many shows as limitations we had been placing on ourselves for the we can, in as many locations as we can, is actually sake of staying close to the sound that we're known for what's gonna feel more like home than anything! were erased. We were truly writing what we wanted.

Hearing the record now, I think it's obvious that the A couple of the band have recently purchased the musical output was produced by the same songwriters Brick By Brick Venue in San Diego. Is there any big that wrote for AILD, but with added dimension and plans for the venue, and maybe we'll see Wovenwar dynamics. play a weekly set in there as the house band?

Those guys have been working super hard to have it Was there a different mentality and approach than ready before we leave for tour, and it's looking great. But usual when in the studio this time around? as far as being a house band, I was actually more hoping Well, we worked with Bill Stevenson again, so we knew they'd allow me to be the karaoke DJ. what to expect with the recording process. The

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Stoodge Chats with Barry, Brian and Padraig 36

Ireland's riotous metallar's Vile Regression have a brand new EP out July 21st. Stoodge caught up with Barry, Padraig and Brian from the band.

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Hey guys, how's life treating you?

Barry - Great thanks! We’re currently preparing for our CD launch at the end of the month and rehearsing a set of old and new material.

Padraig - It’s been a long time coming, but releasing an EP yourself takes a lot longer than I would like to admit!

"Empires" is the new and third EP from you guys. What can we expect from it?

Barry - “Empires” is actually only the second EP we’ve recorded under the name Vile Regression. We’ve taken the music in a more technical direction while still maintaining the concise song structures present on the last EP. We’ve also added some elements of progressive metal, but we made a conscious decision to keep the songs to a palatable length. The tracks are also faster and more aggressive than before.

Padraig - With a new vocalist and guitarist from the previous lineup of Vile, I think theres a more diverse sense of exploration than on the last EP.

unfortunate circumstances have prevented it from happening, but it’s definitely next on the list. We’ve already started writing new material. I’m personally really excited about the early shape it’s taking.

For those not in the know about Irish Metal, what's there to know?

Barry - There’s a small scene here with some really talented and hard working bands. We’ve shared the stage with many of them, including: Dead Label, Warpath, Red Enemy, AeSect and Dichotomy. There’s plenty more great bands here. We encourage people to check them out.

Padraig - I think the scene was bigger a few years ago. I put it down to the fact that there were more venues to play. Some of them have stopped catering to metal in favour of DJ’s. But it’s great to have some venues in the city very loyal to local metal and it’s always a pleasure to play there. Everyone knows everyone and the scene being so small we get to be closely networked. I would say the same of our rehearsal space. It’s a hub for a lot of the metal in Dublin so you can go down to the main room and have a chat and a smoke with bands from around the city.

Playing gigs and hanging out together is a very natural process as a result.

The record is self-released, so where can people get it?

Barry - The EP is currently available for pre-order through our big-cartel site. (vileregression.bigcartel.com) The opening track ‘Tides’ is currently streaming on youtube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMYZVpku0MI) When the record is released on the 21st of July it will be Are there pros and cons in being in an Irish Metal band? available through the usual online outlets.

Barry - The cons are; the scene is small and we end up How did the recording go, is there any tales of mishap inevitably playing the same venues on a semi-regular basis. The pros are that crowds here are usually very from the studio? passionate (and like to have a few drinks). Some of our Barry - Things went fairly smooth this time around. gigs have been the scene of minor injury, so that’s always Michael Richards at Trackmix Studios is always easy to work with and a pro at recording metal. We managed to fun! stave off the boredom by drawing dodgy portraits of each Padraig - There’s a serious lack of spare bass players and drummers. All the good ones get snatched up very other in MS Paint.

Brian - While Barry was busy making a work of art on MS quickly. We keep Robb and Kenn in chains in the basement so they can’t escape. paint, I lost a few pounds of weight in sweat and tears from red button fear! The end result was definitely worth If you were given the opportunity to pack up and base it though.

Vile Regression anywhere else in the World, where Padraig - Lots of tea and biscuits… in the tradition of would you move to? metal.

Barry - Well the UK and England in particular seems to have a large, healthy metal scene. If all goes to plan we’re Were you guys sitting on the songs for long before hoping to get some dates over there in the near future. putting onto tape?

Barry - We had the majority of the material written and ready to go months before hitting the studio. A couple of the tracks (such as ‘The Empyrean Divide’ were finalised in the weeks running up to our studio time. We tend to work better with a deadline looming.

Padraig - The EP has been recorded for a year! That’s the real waiting game, once it’s recorded, and getting everything together is a long process, particularly since it’s all financed by ourselves. Getting the right guy to do the artwork, make the cds, do t shirts etc. But it’s a very rewarding process in itself and I would encourage any band out there to do it. You dont need to wait till you're signed! I’m personally itching to get people hearing it.

What’s quite interesting is how we’ve changed a year since writing this stuff, because we’re always trying to push ourselves to the next level. Constantly writing.

A full-length album must be next on the to-do's list for Vile Regression right?

Barry - It’s been on the to-do list for a while now! A few

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Complex Games Inc. Announces The Horus Heresy: foes alike in cross-platform multiplayer or test your command skills against the challenging AI in Drop Assault singleplayer!

New Warhammer 40,000 tactical strategy game The game on release day includes two playable coming to iOS and Android this fall campaigns for two different factions; Humans and a Leading mobile game development studio Complex bug-like alien race called the Hivers. In single-player Games Inc., in conjunction with Games Workshop, or multi-player, play on the hex-based battlefields, just the definitive leader in tabletop war games, and like classic tabletop war-games, while you can mobile game publisher CROOZ, Inc. (headquarters: change your fortunes in an instant using collectable Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Koji Obuchi) announces a new event cards. And besides the single-battle scenarios, mobile title The Horus Heresy: Drop Assault. Set in a series of tutorial battles will help bring new the Warhammer 40,000 universe this fast-paced wargamers up to speed. tactical game is the first ever video game to be set in “This is a new approach to hex-based war-fare, the wildly popular Horus Heresy setting, and will have as there are things that a far-future army, air-force its initial release on both the iTunes App Store and and navy can expect that even the highest-tech Google Play. modern military can’t handle,” says CEO and Lead The Horus Heresy: Drop Assault invites Designer Martin Cirulis. “It takes a little getting used players to choose a side in the intense civil war that to, when you’re in command of alien units that can erupted amongst the Emperor’s Space Marine literally burrow through the earth like moles to get in Legions in the 30thMillennium. Players will be able to behind enemy lines…or when your field commanders build and customize bases, muster armies, and have access to an orbital strike.” break their enemies' strongholds in intense tactical With players getting to duking it out on water battles. Whether as a Traitor or Loyalist, you can worlds and airless moons currently, what’s in store create a Chapter with your friends and challenge for the near future? COO and Producer Chris your rivals around the world in territorial warfare to Stewart says Ground Pounders will expand relatively dominate and survive. quickly. “We already have Human and the Hiver “We are thrilled to be working with Games campaigns and skirmishes, so our next priority will Workshop on the first videogame set in the Horus be adding a campaign and scenario expansion for a Heresy”, says Noah Decter-Jackson, CEO of Complex third alien faction, the Tarkas. With it will come new Games. “We have been dedicated Warhammer units, cards and new Lore as well.”

40,000 gamers since we first started playing Every opportunity will be used to expand the games, and we are confident that the tactical game further and give players more options each experience we are bringing to mobile will satisfy what time they play. “We’ll continue to expand Ground 40K fans have been craving.”

Pounders throughout 2014,” says Cirulis. “Eventually Jon Gillard, Head of Games Workshop we’d really like to give players an editing suite that Licensing had this to say about the upcoming title: would let them create their own content. We want “The Horus Heresy is an iconic and seminal part of the war-gamers out there to use our dev tools for our IP that describes the dark period in the the game and unleash their own creativity. I think Imperium's history that ultimately led to the way the every military science fiction buff has a future war Warhammer 40,000 universe looks now. As a they’d love to share with the world and Ground setting it has been the basis for numerous New York Pounders is a good way to do that.”

Times best-selling novels, card games, and more PC, Mac and Linux gamers can look recently some amazing models from our Forge for Ground Pounders via Steam, Amazon, World division. The dark treachery and over the top GamersGate, and other fine online retailers. Android battles of this epic civil war make it perfect for the users can currently find the game via the Google game Complex are making and aficionados of our Store. iOS users will get their chance to fight before worlds will be very excited about this legendary the Summer is out. setting being brought to life as a video game for the Final Release Features first time.”

- Control one of 2 armies – Human and Hivers - 80+ units covering land, sea, and air - Battle across alien worlds on exotic battlefields, "Ground Pounders" Has Been Deployed! including airless moons, lava plains, and meteor-blasted wastelands Ground Pounders, the new strategy wargame from - Seize orbital superiority and call down Kerberos Productions, has been deployed! Mac, PC, bombardment on your foes - Build airfields, fortify areas, and repair or destroy Android and Linux players can get their combat bridges boots dirty this weekend playing the - Improve your unit’s experience and abilities over 2 turn-based game of futuristic tanks, aircraft and infantry! The time has come to fire up your device of campaigns - lock and collect combat cards, including choice to reach out and destroy your friends and

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- faction-unique cards!

- Build unique combat card decks and even tune them for specific battles - Ten scenarios to play in skirmish mode or crossplatform multi-player Enjoy a SotSdex filled with Lore details on famous units, personalities, battles and weapon systems Dark Knights Steeped in Legend: Demon Hunters Faction Detailed in Risen 3: Titan Lords

Google Play store https://play.google.com/store/ apps/details? id=com.kongregate.mobile.gameofthronesascent.google With Game of Thrones Ascent, fans can immerse themselves beyond the books and show, living the life of a noble in Westeros, working with (or against) each other in a persistent, authentic game world. Taking part in thousands of story-driven quests, players delve deeply into the lore and develop their own lands and reputation among the Great Houses. Players explore an expansive world filled with deep political and social play involving diplomatic agreements, pacts, marriages, and betrothals. Through Alliance challenges, players work with hundreds of others to accomplish great tasks and rise to the top of the Power Rankings.

“While we have more than 4 million players across the existing web and iPad versions of Game of Thrones Ascent, we know there are still many people who prefer to play games on their iPhone or Android phones and tablets,” said Jon Radoff, CEO and Founder of Disruptor Beam. “We’re thrilled to now extend the game to an even wider audience! We’ve re-designed the user interface so that players can now enjoy the same great gameplay that they’ve seen online, but on these new devices.”

“Even though Season 4 is over, the backstabbing and betrothals do not need to end!” said Rich Gallup, Executive Producer for Game of Thrones Ascent. “As the long wait for Season 5 begins, you can play through Seasons 1 through 4 in Game of Thrones Ascent. In fact, tens of thousands of people have already followed Daenerys to Yunkai and given counsel at Tyrion’s Trial - and that is just the beginning! We’ll be adding tons of exciting new content in the coming months including thousands of original quests, new items, updated features and more.”

Disruptor Beam updates Game of Thrones Ascent on a weekly basis, which will continue throughout 2014 and will include:

Deep Silver and Piranha Bytes revealed details and a new look at the Demon Hunters in Risen 3: Titan Lords, the upcoming and anticipated role playing game, coming August 12 to PC, the Xbox 360 games and entertainment system from Microsoft and PlayStation 3 entertainment system. The Demon Hunters are one of three dynamic factions populating the world of Risen 3.

Players will have to choose their allegiance, which will greatly impact the quests, skill sets, armor and overall experience in the open-world role-playing game.

Forsaken by the gods, the perilous world of Risen 3 stands on the brink of ruin, its peoples threatened by a mysterious menace from the darkness. But dark knights are regrouping, driven by ancient convictions and equipped with the best weapons and armor mankind has to offer: the Demon Hunters. At one time a dedicated and privileged cult, this reclusive sect has all but sunk into oblivion over the course of centuries.

Everyday, the decay of their citadel reminds the Demon Hunters of their negligence over the past decades. Eager for battle, now they face the dark menace, ready to revive the past and fight back the shadows with their mighty axes, hammers and swords.

The time has come for them to restore the Bay of Iron and the massive citadel to their former glory and strike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

Will you side with the Demon Hunters? Explore this gorgeous handcrafted world, and choose your own fate when Risen 3 launches on PC, PlayStation 3 and - Alliance-vs-Alliance (AvA) World Events: Alliance Xbox 360 August 12. members will now do more than just compete for fame and fortune! Earn special rewards for your Alliance in a Game of Thrones Ascent Now Available on new World Events system where every player can help iPhone and Android with More Game Content Than bring victory to their friends. In the new system, all Ever Before Alliances will get a chance to complete Boss Challenges tied to AvA phases that run for several weeks at a time, Disruptor Beam, the company that brings together fan culminating in game-wide events that involve all communities and games, in partnership with HBO Global players! The AvA system, which sparks fierce Licensing and Kongregate, has today announced competition among players, will continue to see that Game of Thrones Ascent is now available on Apple expansions throughout the remainder of this year. iPhone and Android devices! First released online in - Crafting System Updates: In the coming weeks, 2013, followed by iPad in April 2014, Game of Thrones Disruptor Beam will vastly expand the breadth of Ascent is the first social game based on the in-game item production, a key component to players’ award-winning HBO® show and literary works of George advancement. These new updates will bring better R.R. Martin. Fans can now remain immersed in the chances to players for crafting powerful items, like world of Westeros even beyond the end of Season 4 of dragon eggs! In addition, a new item evolution system the show on their mobile phones. Download the game in will help players actually grow and advance their existing the App Store https://itunes.apple.com/app/game-of- items. For the lucky few who have hatched a dragon thrones-ascent/id799145075?mt=8, as well as in the

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egg, they will soon be able to see another cycle of life for their dragon!

- Original Storyline & Quests Expansion: New, original storylines have been and will continue to be introduced to players after the end of Season 4 of the show, along with new items, boss fights and more.

Kindle, and Android on Google Play. The game will also come to Xbox One later this summer.

Magic 2015 – Duels of the Planeswalkers challenges players to “Hunt Bigger Game” and confront the deadliest hunter in the Magic Multiverse – Garruk Wildspeaker. Players must attempt to stop Garruk as he turns his instincts away from beasts of the wild to a new quarry – you, More About Game Of Thrones Ascent his fellow Planeswalker. New this year to the latest Game of Thrones Ascent is a social game that unites installment in the Duels of the Planeswalkers series both story and strategy. It was honored by Facebook is the introduction of a full deck-building experience, allowing fans to customize their style of play like as a “Staff Favorite” in their 2013 Games of the Year roundup. Players claim their birthright by never before.

Magic 2015 – Duels of the Planeswalkers is choosing which of the Great Houses they’ll swear allegiance to, select their lineage, secure their the perfect way to start playing the world’s best strategy game, as well as a great way for existing holdings, develop their lands and reputation, and assign sworn swords to quests - while forging fans to share their favorite game with their friends. alliances with new friends and much more. Game of Magic: The Gathering is the first and most widely played trading card game with more than 20 million Thrones Ascent allows players the opportunity to players and fans worldwide. Visit make moral decisions that not only impact other MagicTheGathering.com for more information and players, but the storyline as well. Key features follow Magic on Facebook and Twitter. include: - Become the most powerful noble in Westeros! Choose your path to success through Battle, Intrigue or Trade. Watch your Power rank increase as you take actions in game.

- Become a bannerman to one of the Great Houses! Choose your loyalties among Stark, Lannister, Baratheon, Greyjoy, Targaryen, Tyrell, Martell or Tully.

- Rule your own noble house! Upgrade your holdings over time. Build your keep, your lands and your army of fighters, merchants and spies.

- Customize your character. Select your lineage and alignment. Create your own family’s banner.

- Build and acquire resources. Send your Sworn Swords on quests and adventures, involving your house in familiar events across Westeros while gaining wealth and Power.

- Work with (and sometimes against) your friends.

Take part in interactive player-vs-player action, overcoming major challenges and adversaries.

- Form in-game alliances with fellow fans! Create your own community within the game to discuss the TV series, game and more. Take part in Alliance vs.

Alliance battles and wars with your friends.

- Play alongside the TV series! With each new TV episode of Game of Thrones, new quests, in-game items and more are added to the game, allowing you to live out the storyline in-game.

Magic 2015 - Duels Of The Planeswalkers Now Available Following a week of exclusive availability on iPad, Magic 2015 – Duels of the Planeswalkers is now available on a wider range of platforms for players to enjoy: PC via Steam, Xbox 360, Amazon

Dark Angel Update Released For Warhammer 40,000: Carnagetm By Roadhouse Interactive

Roadhouse Interactive Limited, a leading developer and publisher of tablet, mobile and browser games, today released the first major content update, featuring the Dark Angel Space Marine and an abundance of new content, to the wildly popular Warhammer 40,000: Carnagefor iOS and Android.

Captured, beaten-down, forgotten, and left to suffer and die in a ruined temple, the Dark Angel has broken free to seek vengeance on his captors. Play as the new Dark Angel Space Marine, equip the all-new Plasma Gun to obliterate multiple Orks at once, and blast your way through exclusive new missions that feature the new Arena Combat gameplay.

The Dark Angel Update also introduces Wargear Supply Caches to Carnage, offering players a chance at the most powerful Wargear on Mithra. Supply Caches are obtained through completing Missions or using Gold. A wealth of new Wargear has been added, including many incredible additions of the highly coveted, top-tiered, Master Crafted weapons, each with unique abilities that cause devastating damage.

The new Arena Combat Missions, exclusive to the Dark Angel, will have players surrounded by Orks rampaging from all sides - players will have nowhere to run.

If the new playable Dark Angel Space Marine, exclusive new missions, new Arena Combat, huge amounts of new Wargear and Supply Caches weren’t enough, the Dark Angel update also includes many game and performance optimizations, as well as new Wargear and Campaign Screens. Get ready to unleash some intense Carnage.

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Publisher - Ubisoft Release Date - 27 May 2014 Website - www.watchdogs.ubi.com Platforms - PC, PS3, PS4, Wii, Xbox360, XboxONE Reviewer - Anothony Clegg

8/10 When I first heard of Watchdogs by Ubisoft the thought oh no another Grand Theft Auto clone ran through my mind like a rampant herd of giant elephants, it shares the same type of open world game play which includes small mini games, side missions and a generic lead character which we have to navigate through a series of missions to get the story line to be complete.

However that is where the similarities end the main draw for this game is the fact you have a super hacking tool on your phone and with that you can hack, steal and make things blow up. Now without spoiling the game the hacking aspect is a central tool and in minutes of getting to grips with it when you don't have it you scream complain and cry, and in certain areas until you unlock/ hack into the “ctOs� a centralized operating system which manages the hyper-connected city of Chicago.

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gorgeous and it plays fantastically well the in game driving is a bit rear wheel heavy but nothing you cant adapt to.

Watchdogs is not a multiplayer game in the traditional sense but with other players able to enter your game and try to steal and hack from you and before they succeed you must gun them down like the thieving dogs they are.

The opportunity to play against other people online using the “ctOs� app downloadable on android and ios devices which gives the tablet/phone user a wire You can see the time and effort that Ubisoft has put frame city and the ability to race and use the police into the game and Watch Dogs had the biggest new to help you.

IP (intellectual property) launch in the United Kingdom ever, beating the previous record holder, So to sum it up would I recommend Watchdogs , L.A Noire, by more than half its sales overall.

Yes I would so go out and buy it and with the new DLC coming out comprising of 3 new single player missions , perks and weapons the game looks to be around for a while to come, so buy the game and get a season pass for me this game got an above average score of 8 out of 10.

That's enough back story the in game soundtrack when driving for me is good but not great, a full list can be found here (http://watchdogs.wikia.com/ wiki/Music) but with only one metal track its not a major draw, Graphically speaking the game looks

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For any review requests please contact the Firebrand After Dark team at afterdark@firebrandrr.co.uk

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Steel Prophet - Omniscient Label: Cruz Del Sur Music Released: 14 July 2014 Reviewer: Phil Kane Highlight: When I Remake The World (A Key Flaw) Website: https://www.facebook.com/SteelProphet

This album has been a long time coming, being the first meaningful output since 2004s ‘Beware’ album and ‘Eyes Of The Prophet’ compilation (we’ll ignore this year’s vinyl rerelease of ‘95s ‘The Goddess Principle’), with the first notice that a new song had been finished posted as far back as 2007, so fans of this outfit are chance to receive ‘Omniscient’ with open arms, but has the wait been worth it? Well, for the Steel Prophet aficionado it probably has, especially as it marks the return of Rick Mythiasin on vocals, but for the rest of us the jury's gonna be hung because the long gestation should have resulted in something more precise than this occasionally messy and inconsistent suite.

short micropolyphonic intro, the ambient start to the galloping ‘666 Is Everywhere (The Heavy Metal Blues)’, the rootsy Cali folk of ‘Call of Katahdin’ and the odd, breezy ‘Oleander Deux’ for instance, all offering intriguing respites from the relentless, sometimes off kilter bludgeon fest, teasing clues to the depths that lay behind the band’s chest thumping bluster, though it is soon crushed under the iron heel of the metallic jack boot putting the lie to the progressive tag. And whoever suggested a Bad Newsy cover of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ be included should be flogged; seriously boys, you should’ve left it as a demo, or a mid set knockabout for the up ‘n’ coming tour. What’s unique about rock bands is that they can turn it down where others are unable to turn it up, and still sound great US technical power metal a la Virgin Steele, with its (I mean, yer unlikely to hear Rihana covering a Doro track concepts swapping mythological and religious iconography are you?). It’s a shame that such an attribute has not been for dystopian Sci-fi imagery (it is based on an original story fully utilised with the technically complex conceptual stuff written by lead guitarist and founding member Steve here. The Prophet boys certainly have ability, are brimming Kachinsky Blakmoor), ‘Omniscient’ works best when the with ideas, and are unquestionably dab hands at their pretentions of complexity are dropped and the boys just game, they just haven't mastered the art of developing a put their heads down and shunt, as on the likes of ‘The few ideas instead of throwing everything in the pot, or Tree Of Knowledge’, the exhilarating ‘When I Remake The knowing when to sit back in the groove and shut the fuck World (A Key Flaw)’ and ‘Aliens, Spaceships and Richard up.

M. Nixon’. Elsewhere, the ham fisted progressive metallic is in the style of 'Stranger..." era Iron Maiden, which, when ‘Omniscient’ is worth every penny in that it takes time to the band does get it right, is quite impressive; ‘Funeral For grow on you. Initial listens will prove a chore but give it time Art’ and ‘Through Time And Space’. Then, right at the and the cluttered Maidenisms will fall away to reveal an death, Steel Prophet flip into irritating yappy Anthrax mosh involving, multi layered album, but the lack of light and mode and pop off ‘1984 (George Orwell Is Rolling in His shade may well prove its fatal flaw.

Grave)’. There are brief moments of inspiration, the all too

Amberian Dawn - Magic Forest Label: Napalm Records Reviewer: Aaron Price Website: http://amberiandawn.com/

Napalm Records Symphonic Metal roster may not be as it could be, but that doesn't mean they don't bring anything to the table. Welcome Amberian Dawn, a female fronted Symphonic Power Metal band from Finland. Amberian Dawn's new release 'Magic Forest' is a pleasant release for any fan of Power Metal if you're not someone who doesn't enjoy female fronted bands.

Plenty of the sections throughout the album sound like Power Metal versions of fellow Finnish band Children of Bodom from the way the instrumentals are done, but that doesn't in anyway take away from the bands

Released: 8 July 2014 Highlight: I’m Still here

strength. 'I'm Still Here' is one of the catchiest songs on the album being a song that sounds like it would be great done live getting the crowd singing alive, plus honorable mention to 'Warning' the sound this song brings to the table reminds me of an anime theme with the way the beat goes and the chilling vocals coming from Capri. Hopefully soon the world will get to witness the strength that Amberian Dawn bring live, but until that can happen enjoy this Napalm Records release!

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Haemophagus - Atrocious Label: Razorback Records Released: 4 May 2014 Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Highlight: Ice Cold Prey Website: https://www.facebook.com/Haemophagus

Fortifying this scintillating polygon and spewing forth cacophony, “Atrocious” as a whole is a converging from its epicentre is a combination of thrash encrusted record. death metal and doom insurgency. “Atrocious”, is a In encompassing doom metal liturgy within a staunch perpetually powerful and prevailing parasite. death metal lineament, Haemophagus have an abrasive The opening prolusion is a trance inducing, uneasy and resonance that would rise the Titanic, and sink it again. quaint introduction. Inoculating a concrete dose of The lyrical narrative is certainly one of torment and anticipation and foretaste into the listener's wretchedness, but with song titles including 'Naked in bloodstream, this eerie passageway soon diminishes The Snow' and 'Choked on A Cadavar's Dick', you're not and makes way for the fistula that is 'Partying At The expecting tales of drinking cocktails on a private island in Grave'. Suddenly this seemingly perplexing record the Caribbean. procures itself a one-way ticket into the realms of depravity. And from when the red button is pushed, Although these guys formed in Palermo, Italy in 2004, there's no going back. they sound like they were moulded in 1988 in Coventry, England.

Slow grinders 'Dismal Apparition' and 'Surgeon of Immortality' don't just keep the wicked wheel spinning, but carry extra poundage to the cogs. And with 'Ice Cold Prey' and 'Siege of The Murderous Beasts' chiselling extra teeth onto the sprocket with their ferocious

Shaved Women - Just Death Label: Ektro Records Released: 8 August 2014 Reviewer: Gavin Griffiths Highlight: Bottom Feeder Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Shaved-Women/317471271626588

With a rich history of Catholicism and its diverse acceptance of ethnicity, St. Louis, Missouri, seems like an idyllic and peaceful place to call home, but beneath all of that, there’s one band hoping to shatter the illusion of perfection with a blend of raw, hard-core punk rock. That band is Shaved Women and with their brand new album entitled ‘Just Death’, they stand out just as easily as St. Louis own Gateway Arch…

Tearing into ‘No One Gets In’, we start the album very much as we mean to go on with an unrestrained almost demo-like quality to the recording. Musically they slot somewhere in between the likes of GG Allin and Black Flag, yet with rougher vocals, it sounds fresh out of the eighties punk rock scene hitting fans of the genre with a sense of nostalgia.

staying true to tradition, while the title track continues ripping through your speakers with no apologies whatsoever, before we finish up on ‘World Of Change’.

It’s a bit slow compared to the rest of the album and, whilst a change of pace here and there is normally beneficial, this ends things on a bit of a flat, repetitive note really.

If you miss the days of ‘real’ punk rock, when the term meant something and had a sense of purpose, and wasn’t merely a tag adapted by more commercial sounding artists to look edgy, this is right up your street.

If you’re a fan of say, Greenday or Zebrahead looking to bolster your record collection it might not be your cup of tea.

Tracks such as ‘I Don’t Belong Here’ and ‘Bottom Feeder’ barely clocking in at two minutes in length, acting as short sharp bursts of pure punk intensity,

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Karma To Burn - Arch Stanton Label: Deepdive Records/FABA Records Reviewer: Phil Kane Website: http://www.k2burn.net/

On the road, on and off, since 1997, Karma To Burn have developed into a rather nifty desert stoner outfit and seventh album ‘Arch Stanton’ pretty much shows today’s young bucks how this repetitive stuff should be done (the album title comes from the name on the grave marker where a fortune of gold is buried in the Sergio Leone classic, ‘The Good, The Bad And The Ugly’, by the way). Giving us riff heavy, gritty, big bottomed stoner metal that hasn't been shackled by Sabbath plagiarisms, Karma To Burn push the boundaries of this sort of instrumental desert metal about as far as it can go without getting silly. Experimental, to a point, rather than progressive, ‘Arch Stanton’ is predictable and easy on the ear despite the odd moment of dissonance, keeping any alt urges at bay and nimbly side stepping the pitfalls of laboured tedium it sits in a massively souped up Kyuss groove, getting almost trancey but mercifully refusing to bow to the psychedelic. There are no track titles as such, all just being numbered ‘Fifty Three’ (track three) to ‘Fifty Nine’ (track eight), with ‘Twenty Three’ (track 6) being thrown in to keep you on yer toes, and not all in consecutive order either. No idea why, except the lack of any imaginative song titles, I suppose. Unimaginative is not an adjective that can be used for the music though, especially in this tight a

Released: 15 August 2014 Highlight: Fifty Four

groove. It veers from the sludgy (‘Fifty Five’) through rocked up alt blues (‘Fifty Four’), to the out ‘n’ out metallic (‘Twenty Three’, ‘Fifty Nine’ and, well, just about everything else). With the exception of the first bit of ‘Fifty Three’, ‘Arch Stanton’ rarely gets anywhere near the doomy dead slow stuff some claim, being more a 37 minute mid paced bonged up wig out that occasionally threatens to break into a scamper (‘Fifty Six’). This West Virginia crew know how to stick to the groove like a limpet to Moby Dick's arse and with the lack of any kind of vocal, though which type would suit is anyone’s guess, they do a damn fine job of keeping your attention.

There's no messing with a formula that's just about been tested to destruction, no intense, angsty holier than thou bollocks, and any subtleties are, well, subtle, making ‘Arch Stanton’ ideal for looning it large to when life's great banana skins leave you no other options.

When The Man has been on your back all day, you’ve just put in a category 5 shit storm of a week at work and your significant other is pushing all the wrong buttons, ‘Arch Stanton’ could prove the perfectly relentless sound track to a jolly good decompression session as you bounce around yer pad, reefer and tinny in hand, screaming yer lungs out. Play bloody loud.

Sacrocurse - Unholier Master Label: Iron Bonehead Released: 2 June 2014 Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Highlight: C.O.N.V.U.L.S.E Website: https://www.facebook.com/Sacrocurse

You may remember these dudes had an EP out entitled “Sulphur Blessing” last year. If not, then “Unholier Master” will not only refresh your memory but it'll have you scouring the inter-web in search of the aforementioned release.

Made up of Zolrak Montes and drummer LZ, the pestis that is Sacrocurse have finally swarmed in with their debuting album – and so the pandemic begins.

Death Metal, an influence not difficult to find at any point of the record.

'All Existence Perishes' and 'Command Demonic Prayers' uphold the onslaught before the inexorable blitzkrieg of 'Rites of Perverted Idolatry' transpires the album into territories occupied only by unyielding pandemonium.

From the beginning it's blatant that this Mexican Mob are relentless, persistent and unabated in their merciless procession. 'Sepulchral Desolation', the opening emersion of the record quickly canonises the ruinous nature of Sacrocurse. Brute-Force is to these guys what Water is to Homoeopathy, everything!! The Sacrocurse revelry is fed and sustained on Old-School

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Midnight - No Mercy For Mayhem Label: Hell’s Headbangers Records Released: 18 August 2014 Reviewer: Stephen Brophy Highlight: The Final Rape Of The Night Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Midnight/87909491643

Over the last few months there do appear to be a lot of releases harking back to old school sounds, and this new release from Midnight - No Mercy For Mayhem is definitely one of those. Midnight could fit very well into the 1980's, alongside bands like Venom, Bulldozer or Exciter. But hey, there's nothing necessarily wrong with that, bands always use their heroes as a basis for creating something new, as long as it's not just a blatant copy it's all good.

kicks off, but for me the whole thing is a little one paced, the title track, "Prowling Leather" and "Try Suicide" are all good in their own right but have a similar sound to me, and it all merges into one after a while, still it's an interesting effort and it may be interesting to see what happens when they write the follow up album, and in what direction they develop, there are definitely some interesting bits and pieces in here and "The Final Rape Of Night" is the stand out track for me. Will definitely keep an eye out for these guys.

If you are looking for something polished and modern then I'd steer clear of this one, but if you want a well assembled album from a band that clearly isn't finished with the inspirations they came from then dig in, No Mercy For Mayhem starts off with the aptly titled "Penetratal Curse" which is just an intro, but gives you the dirty sound you are going to here right throughout the album. "Evil Like A Knife" is where the album really

Pantheon I - From The Abyss They Ride Label: Non Serviam Records Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Website: http://www.pantheon-i.com/

Released: 14 August 2014 Highlight: From The Abyss They Ride

Featuring Den Saakaldte, Trollfest, 1349, The All Seeing I & Ex-Absu members, “From The Abyss...” is a curious and absorbing release. It isn't an orthodox record by any means, in fact it's an assemblage of old demos along with a newly recorded EP. In amalgamating all the great and voluminous facets of extreme metal, including a heavy ration of black metal, Oslo's Pantheon I have triumphed with this release.

Chaotic in substance and disorderly in nature, “From The Abyss....” is an ungovernable concoction of melody and melancholy.

If you're not so familiar with the Norwegian cohort's, this is a great way get yourself acquainted. This is a fine insight into the band's crusade, heritage, proficiency for metal, and progression since they formed in 2002. Hell, there's even a Cello involved.

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Ad Patres - Scorn Aesthetics Label: Kaotoxin Records Reviewer: Gavin Griffiths Website: http://www.adpatres.net/

Other than Gojira, France hasn’t really got any established or, well known heavy bands, let alone a recognisable scene, as such, so for the likes of Ad Patres to come out of Bordeaux, it’s refreshing on a global scale in terms of rock and metal, showing that wherever you go, heavy music can and will blossom.

Firmly rooted in their preferred genre of death metal, Ad Patres strongly believe that heavy music, in its current state has a sense of style over substance, with bands worrying too much about trends or their appearance, so, what have they done about it? They’ve released ‘Scorn Aesthetics’ via Kaotoxin records and it is brutal.

Released: 8 July 2014 Highlight: To The Fathers

metal 101 and they rip through the track with no sense of remorse.

‘Scars Of Compromise’ and then ‘Circle Of Red’ maintain the brutality, the latter fierce on an unprecedented scale, yet with a clear technical musical capability allowing the sheer force of the music to not simply sound like a wall of noise, it’s all very well executed. The title track and everything from here on in continue to pummel you mercilessly with each and every riff, each note; each growl…and it’s actually exhausting…in a good way. If you’re a fan of properly heavy music you’re going to want to check Ad Patres out, talented musicians with a lot of promise within heavier, underground circles.

Taking a short while to get things under way with opening track ‘The Lock’, we’re soon being pelted with blast beats from drummer Alsvid, thrashy, frantic riffs from Canard and Olivier Basquet, and the ferocious, almost feral vocals of Axel Doussaud. This is death

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Channel Zero - Kill All Kings Label: Metal Blade Records Reviewer: Stephen Brophy Website: http://www.channel-zero.be/

Channel Zero are a back with a brand new album, Kill All Kings, this is the first release from the Belgian's since the untimely death of original drummer Phil Baheux last year, Drum duties for this album being taken on by Roy Mayorga (Soulfly, Stone Sour), and you never know when a band looses a long time member if they should continue or call it quits, on this occasion continuing was definitely the correct choice as Kill All Kings is a really good album.

Released: 24 June 2014 Highlight: Duisternis

very relevant on Kill All Kings, which is great and hopefully a new chapter of this band is about to be written where they are not only well liked and have a good following but they get a lot of the credit they deserve.

Kill All Kings is an impressive return to form after for them, it's not a balls out full speed ahead type of album, but there are nice pace changes to be found here, aggression where it's needed, the stand out track for Opening with some monster riffs on "Dark Passenger" me "Duisternis" for example has a touch of Slayer about it's a great sign of what's to come. This album sounds in it, and I know not everybody likes it when bands sing places like a cross between something you would hear songs in their native language - but this one is a from Fear Factory and White Zombie, it's crisp and monster, and at the same time there's also a songs like clear and gets right in your face from the start. Tracks "Heart Stop" and "Brothers Keeper" with a much slower like "Mind Over Mechanix", "Digital Warfare" and "Ego" cadence but filled with emotional vocals, as with a lot of are really polished with a touch of something different, the albums I really like you need to dig into this album we aren't just thrown one style here, we've got Metal and listen to the songs a few times and you learn to with a touch of Ambient thrown in. To be honest this appreciate different strengths or parts of songs you album is a definite grower, it's no surprise that Channel may have overlooked first time around, which to me is Zero are so highly thought of in Belgium, but for me they great. have never really made that leap to Worldwide recognition, that's not to say they haven't shown a lot of Don't miss out on this album, there's a lot to like here quality over the years the albums before their initial split and more to come I think as Channel Zero create a new in 1997 were very good, especially 1994's Unsafe chapter in their history, and hopefully this time around which featured guest vocals from both Billy Milano they will get more recognition of their fine work.

(M.O.D., S.O.D) and Richard 23 of Front 242. But the sound has changed a bit, maybe it's just a keeping with the times kind of change, but they sound modern and

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Emptiness - Nothing But The Whole Label: Dark Descent Records Reviewer: Gavin Griffiths Website: http://www.emptiness.be/

Emptiness, from Brussels, Belgium, are part of the Dark Descent Records roster, and believe me when I say that listening to their newest album; ‘Nothing But The Whole’, feels exactly like a dark descent into a hellish pit of madness and twisted thoughts. Their subdued yet sinister brand of almost gothic tinged alternative metal reeks of melancholy and malicious intent, it really is the soundtrack of nightmares, and they have no problem piling on the atmospherics.

Released: 27 May 2014 Highlight: Tale Of A Burning Man

growled vocals remain, it’s a real slow building track and is quite prog in style with its key changes and fluctuating tempo, but takes a good while to get going properly, and even then never truly delivers anything substantial.

‘The Past Is Death’ and finally then ‘Lowland’ keep proceedings rumbling on in their own dismal and dreary ways, leaving you with the feeling of wanting to call the Samaritan’s as oppose to pressing play to hear the album a second time. What Emptiness do is their art, Opening up with ‘Go And Hope’, it’s funny really, that you and they create what they create well, few bands can sort of hope that things go on to get a bit, well, better. get away with this sort of thing, it’s a million miles away It’s a gentle introduction to be honest, but no less from accessible let alone easy listening. For the most demonic, Phorgath’s vocals menacing with their hushed part, musically it’s been well produced, but it’s hardly an growl, but that’s really all you can say. The title track has enjoyable album. In a way it’s a bit like ‘Unknown a little bit more life to it. It’s still all doom and gloom, a Pleasures’ by Joy Division, respectable enough but, slight hint of early Satyricon in the way it’s delivered in ultimately it’s just depressing. places, one for the black metal fans this one, while ‘All Is Known’ clocks in at over eight minutes and is definitely for fans of artists such as or similar to Opeth. The

Mefisto - The Megalomania Puzzle Label: VIC Records Released: 16 June 2014 Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Highlight: The Puzzle Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mefisto/139694539483334

Proving that talent doesn't always bring notoriety is Mefisto. The compendium that is “The Megalomania Puzzle” consists of two demos “Megalomania” and “The Puzzle”, both originally released in 1986. This release harbours eight tracks of sheer extreme metal delicacy and a sound that is endemic to when this was first ignited, almost thirty years ago.

The first four tracks come crashing in with frantic drumming patterns, coarse vocals and intensifying riffs all enclosed. The latter four inclusions from the subsequent demo showcase a more technical and scrupulous side to the Swedish band, while the rawness of their earlier expulsion diminishes slightly. There's an undercurrent of NWOBHM influences also on offer throughout, with the similarity being more Venom than Tygers of Pan Tang.

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Incubus - Incubus EP Label: VIC Records Released: 16 June 2014 Reviewer: Stephen Brophy Highlight: Engulfed In Unspeakable Horrors Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Incubus-Florida/841315479217225

There have been a number of bands named Incubus over the years, this particular incarnation was a Black/ Death Metal band from the US. They sadly never really got going but did contain Sterling "Von" Scarborough, later of Morbid Angel and Usurper on Bass and Vocals, who sadly passed away back in 2006.

This 3 track EP was their only output after a demo in 1987, and really although it's very competent there's not really anything standing out on this release and maybe that was the reason they never went on to release any significant output and eventually split, but the closing track "Engulfed In Unspeakable Horrors" is definitely the most imposing of the three and is a one that showed a fair bit of promise. The EP itself, even as a three track is a bit of a mixed bag, the opener "God Died On His Knees" is a pretty straightforward Black Metal number, not a bad song but not memorable, next up we have "Reanimator's Mutiliations" is a blast fest, flat out, and doesn't sit in with the others at all, but again it's not

a terrible track, just probably not enough to get a label to bite at the time. As mentioned for me "Engulfed In Unspeakable Horrors" is easily the stand out track and leans a bit more towards Death Metal, I think this may well have been the path the band would have taken had an album been finished and released, and could have very well led to this particular version of Incubus being a better known and more high profile band. It is a little bizarre that this EP has been given a reissue all these years later when there is no other material to follow, unless there has been some unreleased material sitting in a valt somewhere, but with Scarborough no longer with it's all a little odd.

Devangelic - Resurrection Denied Label: Comatose Music Released: 24 June 2014 Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Highlight: Apostolic Dismemberment Website: https://www.facebook.com/devangelic.official

Put simply, this is music to lobotomise to! And bestowing us this putrid, prolapsing necrosis is Italy's Devangelic. Charged by blasphemy and powered by discordance, Rome's Vatican violator's have created, digested and shit out an exultant death metal banquet with their debut album “Resurrection Denied�.

propose. Smearing their expulsion with sacrilege and bodily innards is a persistent trait of Devangelic. This however in no way constricts the band's validity and cogency, actually it makes for an impenetrable plangent from beginning to climax.

Featuring members of Putridity, Vulvectomy and Coprophiliac, Devangelic is a device incessant of gut disgorging vocals and bible rending profanity. And both make for a great combination. In being both messy and vile, this could be the sound-scape for throwing a head into a meatgrinder.

'Eucharistic Savagery' gets the bloodied ball rolling, and is an instant sign of the Italian's flesh rupturing agenda.

The album's opener is the first construction of a substantially forged manifestation. Wound carvers 'Disfigured Embodiment', 'Entombment of Mutilated Angels' and 'Desecrate the Crucifix' do as their titles

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Johnny Touch - Inner City Works Label: Shadow Kingdom Records Released: 19 August 2014 Reviewer: Phil Kane Highlight: Lady Strutter Website: https://www.facebook.com/JohnnyTouchAus

Debut ‘Inner City Wolves’ has taken a few years to put together, with serious injury, a bit of a revolving door thing going on and an apparent lack of coherent planning getting in the way. Yet, here it is, finally, the band's main achievement to date, continuing on from a handful of previous EPs. The bumph boasts that the song writing on ‘Inner City Wolves’ is "…extremely complex…" but it isn't. Johnny Touch use a chassis of meat 'n' tats pub NWOBHM, clarting on lashings of Maiden and Priest with touches of Accept. It's simple, straight down the line stuff, the approach belt ‘n’ braces, one foot in the bar next door, an eye on the barmaid’s tits. 'Lady Strutter' is about as close to a highlight as it gets, 'Dishonourable Discharge' too, though guitarist Jamie Whyte does a fair Wolf Hoffman on the Teutonic guitar instrumental wig out of ‘Radiation Axeposure’, though that really should have been kept exclusively for the stage. That's not to say the songs are bad; they're not. No boundaries are pushed, of course, but the touchstones are all there, harmony lead guitars, galloping rhythms, token classical acoustic interludes. The writing’s a little naive perhaps, but no worse for it. Yet what really fucks things up is a production job that crushes the life out of any saving graces. Is it a deliberate attempt to capture the authentic retro DIY vinyl-only feel of the day, or just the

result of penny pinching half arsedness and a nasty that’ll-do attitude? Dunno, but ‘Inner City Wolves’ cries out for a proper desk job that would give it some bollocks, a knob twiddler who cares enough to make the band knuckle under and get their shit together. There are some great ideas, but it all sounds so unforgivably dull, flat, even the already dodgy vocals can't be bothered; inexcusable at twelve quid a pop.

Vocalist Ramrod was recently asked if he was personally satisfied with the album, "Indeed so!” He replied, “This album has practically been two years in the making, and we’re stoked that it’s finally being released. It has definitely given us a sense of achievement! Of course, at the end of the day, you’re always gonna be thinking “Oh man, I wish I did that, or I wish I did this”, but that’s the joys of being your own worst critic!" Johnny Touch are barely known outside the city boundaries of home town Adelaide, let alone their native Oz, and that is unlikely to change any time soon so yes, there’s certainly going to be a lot of wishful thinking done over ‘Inner City Wolves’; an awful lot of wishful thinking.

Wretched - Cannibal Label: Victory Records Released: 10 June 2014 Reviewer: Aaron Price Highlight: To The Flies Website: https://www.facebook.com/wretchednc

Wretched make their return to the forefront of Melodic continue to destroy city by city while they are embarked Death Metal with their new album on Victory Records. on Mayhem Fest over the course of the summer.

'Cannibal' is full of devastating vocal power and killer instrumentals, making Wretched a force to be reckon with for releases this year. 'To The Flies' shows the full potential of the bands ferocious strength with unforgettable riffs, catchy vocal styles and sections that implement the deadliness of every instrument. With plenty of different styles throughout the entire album including clear examples from other bands such as The Black Dahlia Murder being a prime example, Wretched are forcing their way to the front of the pack and will

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Rainbows Are Free - Waves Ahead Of The Ocean Label: Guestroom Records Reviewer: Lee Walker Website: http://www.rainbowsarefree.com/

Released: 4 August 2014 Highlight: Snake Bitten By Love

With a name like ‘Rainbows Are Free’ you would be forgiven for thinking that RAF are all about free love, bright shirts and happy, feel good type smiley songs instead you have a band which eats and breathes doom.

Opening song ‘Speed God And The Rise Of The Motherfuckers’ starts off in fine early Sabbath style with its haunting, almost Occult influenced dark, brooding lyrics grinding ever forward by the bulldozing bass lines grinding slowly into your subconscious as the rest of the album unfolds around you, absorbing you into its darkness.

Inching ever forward the album creeps on with a slowly increasing psychedelic edge developing in many of the songs leading to comparisons to the legendary Cathedral as RAF continue to push the boundaries of doom..

With ‘Waves Ahead Of The Ocean’ we might have found a worthy replacement for Cathedral only time will tell.

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Cocksure - TVMALSV Label: Metropolis Records Reviewer: Gavin Griffiths Website: http://www.cocksurenoise.com/

If you’re a fan of artists such as Revolting Cocks, Pigface and Ministry, you may want to check out Cocksure; the new project from collaborators Chris Connelly (of the aforementioned) and Jason Novak, whose ambition is to not just create music, but to experiment with noise.

Their debut album, ‘TVMALSV’ is an amalgamation of styles ranging from 80’s electronica, industrial metal and 90’s house music, and it’s, well…interesting.

Released: 12 August 2014 Highlight: Drug-A-Bug

similar nature but it’s just that bit catchier, while ‘TKO Mindfuck’ draws more heavily on the industrial side of things but at over seven minutes long, it does drag on a bit, before we finish up with ‘Cokane In My Brain’, which is nothing less than annoying to be honest.

Without trying to sound completely disrespectful, you’ll enjoy this album a lot more of you regularly take recreational drugs, it’s taken that aspect of the 90’s ‘Skeemy Gates’ gets things underway and it’s easy to influence and fuelled the album with it. It’s straight out of understand where the inspired genre mash-up comes an illegal rave really, just that it utilises other styles to from. It’s pretty intense, sounding like the bastard make something new. It’s nowhere near the kind of offspring of Aphex Twin and Apollo 440 with an ever so album you’d just sit down and listen to at your desk or slight hint of The Shamen; it’s far from easy listening. on your iPod, this is background music in an ‘Cock Ripped To The Giddy Tits’, aside from being one of underground club while you snort class-A substances the best song names I’ve ever come across, is a rather through a rolled up twenty. Not for everyone. funk driven number, slightly rap-inspired lyrics of the most basic ability but it’s bearable. ‘Drug-A-Bug’ is of a

The Black Waterside - The Black Waterside EP Label: Self Release Released: 9 June 2014 Reviewer: Phil Kane Highlight: Whore House Down On The South East Website: http://theblackwaterside.bandcamp.com/

Oooo, what do we have here then? Just when yer starting to get a bit jaded, the metal getting tiresome, the howling of the valkyries irritating, and rock in general just hurts yer head, along comes something that dares to flick its snatch in yer face. Seems Ol' Nick's decide to open up a Kentish branch of the signing a contract at the crossroads franchise; 'bout time too.

The four track ‘Black Waterside EP’ is basically blues, but blues that belongs more to treading the boards of Canned Heat, Jim Jones and Clutch than the rarefied pantheons of Bonamasa's and Shepherd's sanitised procedurals, or the pub lounges of any number of crushingly boring, regurgative bar bands. It's gritty, dirty rockin’ blues that isn't afraid to show its petticoat frills either; the savvy tush swinging Urban Voodoo r ‘n’ r groove of 'Brand New Cadillac', the lolloping souped up Wille slide driven surfer dude blues thing of 'Whore House Down On The South East', the understated rockabilly of 'Four Minute Warning!'. Only tail end Charlie 'Wrong Side Of The Track' sticks to the slow burner blues template, with its restrained hymnal chapel keyboard. Overall, the guitars owe more to Burning Tree

than SRV, but injected with a bit of that old Brit grit that's been missing from our stages for far too long, the lead vocal a great whisky stained howl that should rightly belong to a moonshine running redneck out of the Appalachians’, the engine room keeping things stuck to the groove like a brick in a swinging bucket. There’s some nice Sass Jordan aping backing vox too. But for the lack of more lonesome crow country guitar, this subtly eclectic EP could be mistaken as the product of an outfit flogging itself around the roadhouses and back street recording studios of America's southern badlands; sun baked Americana in all but place of origin.

“Well it's taken us two years to find a sound, but here we are. Our first EP is finished!” Says their Bandcamp blog, the band’s Facebook biog stating, “The Black Waterside came together in October of 2011, as the result of five individuals who wanted to create music that is unique, soulful, dynamic and fuses several different genres together whilst still maintaining a focused sound.” Yep, job done people, job done.

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Chronosphere - Embracing Oblivion Label: Punishment 18 Records Released: 16 June 2014 Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Highlight: City Of The Living Dead Website: https://www.facebook.com/ChronosphereGr

Delivering a forty minute thrash course in metal, this “Embracing Oblivion” is as resolute and robust as a Greek mob add some much needed tonic to an thrash metal album will be this year. exhausted and threadbare genre. With their first full length album, the four piece have taken all we hold dear from early thrash metal titans and have embellished the acquisition with their exclusive piquancy, and in doing so have made it their very own property.

What is conspicuous throughout “Embracing Oblivion”, is the freshness and purpose of everything involved. The weakness of a lot of modern day thrash albums is down to the rehashed riffs, predictable lyrical content and generic structures. There is not a single atom from the Planet Erroneous on here. Every drum beat, bass note and guitar shred is wholly justified, and with such talent and conviction, their fervour persists.

Whether it's the sheer chaos of 'Brutal Decay', or the unmitigated turbulence of 'City of The Living Dead',

Hellyeah - Blood For Blood Label: Eleven Seven Music Reviewer: Joey Lowebins Website: http://www.hellyeahband.com/

Released: Highlight: Say When

Hellyeah, the metal super group featuring members of ex Pantera, Mudvayne and Nothingface have released album number four on label Eleven Seven Music.

particular on fist in the air anthem ‘DMF’ which will be a live track to listen out for. Vinnie Paul is solid throughout the album, as you would expect from arguably one of the worlds best metal drummers and he really shows why Having undergone line up changes prior to recording on ‘Say When’, an absolute metal drumming master the album with long time guitarist Greg Tribbett and Bob class, not since his Pantera days has he shown off his Zilla departing, they have recruited Kyle Sanders on skills like this. bass and have created quite frankly, a brilliant album.

The best part of being in a super group is that each All in all, Hellyeah have created an album that will please member brings their own ideas and style from their all metal heads alike with heavy, fast paced to melodic respective bands and throw it into ‘the melting pot’ tracks. Musically they are at the top of their game. Will which usually ends up making great music. And ‘Blood the tracks be enjoyed just as much live????? for Blood’ is no different. With Chad Gray in particular HELLYEAH! on top form from the heaviness of opening track ‘Sangre por Sangre’ and ‘Cross to Bier (Cradle of Bones)’ to the melodic ‘Moth’ he shows his vocal range perfectly.

Riffs are in high abundance on this album with axe man Tom Maxwell and Kyle firing on all cylinders, in

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(Hed) p.e - Evolution Label: Pavement Entertainment Reviewer: Joey Lowebins Website: http://www.hedperocks.com/

Album nine from the metal, rasta, punk infused veterans. Yes, album nine! Yours truly can remember the band playing the main stage at Ozzfest in 2001, sharing the stage with Black Sabbath and Slipknot. Well, what a difference a decade can make. They are now starting a tour of the UK in October with Soil around the smaller venues.

Released: 21 July 2014 Highlight: Never Alone

a heavy riff and double bass opening, melodic singing in the style of Chad from Mudvayne and epic guitar solo, this track has it all.

One thing that must be said about the album is that it doesn’t have that upbeat tempo that the classic album ‘Broke’ had. Perfect example is the track ‘No turning back’ which the best way to describe it would be a So what can fans expect of the new album? Well, the slowed down Skindred song . That said, musically (Hed) band claim on their web page that the album is ‘Heavy p.e. are still excellent at what they do and this album as Fuck’ and to some extent it is. But not in the fast would not deter any die hard (Hed) fans but im not sure paced metal kind of way, the songs are in the essence of how many new fans this album would attract. the reggae style, as are the vocals. ‘2Many games’ is the first track on the album which is really a stand out, with funky samples and grooving beats. ‘One more body’ has a great bass line running throughout it, and is a classic (Hed) p.e. style song which will go down a storm live.

The track that stands out the most is ‘Never alone’, with

Venowl - Patterns Of Failure Label: Broken Limbs Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Website: http://venowl.bandcamp.com/

You know that excruciating pain you get when you stand barefoot on an upfacing plug? Well, just imagine your face is at the bottom of your foot and then augment the pain 666 times. That's the duress in which “Patterns of Failure” puts its listeners under. This is snuff doom at its perverted best.

Released: 17 June 2014 Highlight: The Bounded Are Loathed

All three tracks, 'Patterns of Failure', 'Hung Alive by the Ribs to a Gallows' and 'The Bounded Are Loathed', offer up a very disquieting experience. This would be the sound of your last breathe as you're trapped in an underground Jazz Club overrun with Zombies.

Spat outward from the clandestine subsurface of the Illinois metal scene, this three track abomination finally gets its official release. And don't let the fact that there's only three songs put you off. The running time for this beast of abhorrence is fifty-six minutes, so time is in abundance for you to hack your own arm off and impel it down your throat.

This entire record is undiluted, high concentrate filth!

The ever hysterical, nauseating and necroleptic vocal outcries, the shattering and neurotic bass and guitar slugging, and the lethargic yet attentive drumming make an ultimate unholy trinity.

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Capilla Ardiente - Bravery, Truth and The Endless Darkness Label: High Roller Records Released: 6 June 2014 Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Highlight: Towards The Midnight Ocean Website: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Capilla-Ardiente/276244682414001

With riffs that ejaculate more spunk than Ghengis Khan, agenda. Oh yeah, and the band's name translated into these Chileans have delivered an appetizing treat. Think English is Burning Chapel. of Candlemass caught in a maelstrom with Fates Warning and Al Cisneros. With vocals that could melt glaciers, and with incessantly haunting guitar passages, with “Bravery, Truth.....�, Capilla Ardiente have the glorification of being to first band to deface the doom genre in quite a while.

What's ironic is the album concludes with a track entitled 'Into Unknown Lands', and although the record is a far stretch from being what could be described as unique, it still regresses memorable songs and it's delivered with imperial finesse. From the incipience, it's an undeviating, constant rumble of doom metal vehemence.

'Towards The Midnight Ocean' is the stand out track, a ten minute riff orgy that epitomises the Capilla Ardiente

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Abolition A.D - After Death Before Chaos Label: Pulverised Records Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Website: http://abolitionad.blogspot.sg/

Released: 28 July 2014 Highlight: V.I.P

Time for some lawless and uproarious post-hardcore sludge from south east Asia right now. Slogging out of Singapore is this debut album from Abolition A.D. Having only their EP “Pain” as a precursor, the band have made some reputable progress with “After Death Before Chaos”.

On the flipside though, it has been four years since that first release. And with there not being to much in the way of quantity on this new particular production, maybe offering up another EP would have sufficed. But, for what lacks in aggregate, is made up in quality. These grinders know how to create a throbbing racket, and they definitely enjoy it.

With their style of abraded punk and rusticated sludge, this seven track usurps a handsome plenum of energy and noise.

Deus Otiosus - Rise Label: Deepsend Records Reviewer: Stoodge Mc Nulty Website: http://www.deus-otiosus.com/

Released: 10 June 2014 Highlight: Don’t Fuck With The Dead

Soaring from Copenhagen, this is the band's third album and second released via Deepsend Records. And guess what......this Danish commodity should be a staple part of your death metal diet. In “Rise”, what has been forged is a crude, rugged and hardy mechanism of death metal entrancement.

Album highlight 'Don't Fuck With The Dead', sounds like it has been severed straight from the anatomy of Six Feet Under. And you'll find a lot of similarities the on record, it's like Frankenstein's Monster. Melded together and absorbed into this modern Prometheus are death metal organisms from far and wide.

This isn't just a smash and grab, flashbang or blitzkrieg either. With nine tracks included and with a running time of forty-three minutes, the Danish horde could be called generous or prolific, or even both.

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Airbourne August 26 Portsmouth Wedgewood Rooms 28 London The Garage October 26 The SSE Hydro 27 Sheffield Motorpoint Arena 28 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena 30 Birmingham LG Arena 31 Manchester Phones 4U Arena

02 London White Rabbit 03 Bridgend Hobos Live Music Venue 04 Bristol Thekla

Amon Amarth August 12 Belfast The Limelight 13 Dublin The Academy

FM August 09 Cambridge Rock Festival

Anathema September 18 Belfast The Limelight 2 19 Dublin The Button Factory Arch Enemy December 16 Birmingham The Institute 18 London The Forum Bernie Torme October 17 York Fibbers Black Star Riders July 22 Northampton Roadmender August Buckley Tivoli Counting Crows November 01 Birmingham O2 Academy 02 Glasgow O2 Academy 04 Newcastle O2 Academy 05 Leeds O2 Academy 07 Manchester O2 Apollo 08 Leicester De Montfort Hall 10 London Roundhouse Die Krupps August 02 London The Garage Dragonforce September 17 Edinburgh Liquid Room 18 Aberdeen The Lemon Tree 19 Glasgow King Tuts Wah Hut 20 Belfast The Limelight 2 25 Manchester The Deaf Institute 27 Birmingham The Institute 30 Brighton Haunt October

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Fish September 29 Durham Gala Theatre December 19 Liverpool O2 Academy 20 Sheffield City Hall

Furyon with Mordred August 22 Dublin The Voodoo 23 Belfast The Limelight2 25 London O2 Academy 26 Birmingham O2 Academy 27 Glasgow O2 Academy 28 Newcastle O2 Academy 29 Sheffield O2 Academy 30 Liverpool O2 Academy 31 Bristol O2 Academy September 01 Brighton Concorde 2 Genesis October 21 Ipswich Regent Theatre 22 Brighton Centre 24 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall 25 Glasgow Clyde Auditorium 26 York Barbican 28 Southend Cliffs Pavilion 29 Southampton02 Guildhall 30 Cardiff St David’s Hall November 01 London Eventim Apollo 02 Salford The Lowry 03 Guildford Glive 04 Birmingham Symphony Hall Goatwhore November 17 Brighton Audio 18 Cardiff Clwb Ifor Bach 19 Glasgow Cathouse 20 Dublin Voodoo Lounge 21 Manchester Sound Control 22 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 23 London Garage Iron Knights July 26 London The Garage

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Bloodstock 7-10 August Down, Emperor, Megadeth, Dimmu Borgir, Carcass, Amon Amarth, Children Of Bodom and many more

Altfest 15-17 August The Cult, Marilyn Manson, Killing Joke, Gary Numan, Fields Of The Nephilim, Alien Sex Fiend and many more

Karma To Burn August 15 Oxford O2 Academy2 16 Cardiff The Moon Club 17 Southampton The Joiners 18 Portsmouth The Wedgewood rooms 19 Manchester The Deaf Institute 20 York Fibbers 21 Leamington Spa The Zephyr Lounge 22 Edinburgh Bannermans 23 Glasgow Classic Grand 24 Newcastle The Cluny 25 Plymouth The White Rabbit 26 Bristol The Fleece 27 Northampton Picturedrome 28 Chester The Live Rooms 29 Bournemouth The Anvil 30 London The Underworld 31 Dublin Fibber Magees September 01 Belfast Voodoo Machine Head July 29 Nottingham Rescue Rooms 31 Edinburgh Liquid Room August Newcastle University Student Union Madness December 04 Nottingham Capital FM Arena 05 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena 06 Brighton The Brighton Centre 08 Plymouth Pavillions 09 Bournemouth International Centre 11 Leeds First Direct Arena My Ruin August 20 Birmingham O2 Academy 21 Bristol Fleece Opeth October 10 Bristol O2 Academy 11 London Roundhouse 12 Nottingham Rock City 14 Glasgow O2 ABC 15 Manchester Academy 16 Birmingham The Institute Orange Goblin October 30 Dublin The Button Factory 31 Belfast The Limelight 2 Primal Fear September 17 London 2 Academy Islington 19 Glasgow O2 ABC 21 Sheffield O2 Academy 24 Newcastle O2 Academy 25 Liverpool O2 Academy 27 Leicester O2 Academy

Cambridge Rock Festival 7-10 August FM, Wishbone Ash, Snakecharmer, The Ultimate Eagles, Chantel McGregor and many more Rival Sons December 08 Portsmouth Pyramid Centre 09 Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 10 London The Forum 11 Manchester The Ritz 13 Sheffield Leadmill 14 Glasgow O2 ABC 15 Newcastle O2 Academy 16 Norwich UEA Sabaton December 06 Dublin The Academy 07 Belfast The Limelight 08 Manchester The Ritz 09 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms January 12 London The Forum Saxon November 30 Bristol Academy December 01 Bournemouth Academy 02 Nottingham Rock City 04 Manchester Ritz 05 Dublin Academy 06 Belfast Limelight/ Mandela Hall 07 Glasgow ABC 09 Newcastle Academy 10 Leeds Academy 11 Wolverhampton Wulfrun Hall 12 Oxford Academy 13 London Shepherd's Bush Empire Sebastian Bach July 03 - 07 Knebworth Sonisphere 08 Wolverhampton Slade Rooms 09 London O2 Academy

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Seether November 16 Birmingham Institute 18 Glasgow 02 ABC 19 Manchester Ritz 20 London Forum Status Quo December 06 Liverpool Exho Arena 16 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena The Temperance Movement November 16 Bristol O2 Academy 17 Manchester The Ritz 20 Birmingham The Institute 21 London The Forum December 02 Glasgow Venue TBC Wolf September 13 Nottingham Rescue Rooms 14 London Borderline Wovenwar August 21 London Barfly Camden

Hard Rock Hell 13-16 November Diamond Head, Electric Mary, Vardis, Bonafide and many more

For a free listing please email your gig or festival information to: sales@firebrandrr.co.uk

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