 A distant mechanical sound is getting louder from afar and heralds the arrival of exciting happenings - throwing their shadows on this fateful day of September 2nd. It's the day that the metal legend Blind Guardian will release their eleventh studio album The God Machine via Nuclear Blast and erects a new monument of their outstanding career. Hansi Kürsch comments:- “We didn't want to rehash our qualities from 1995, but didn't want to continue down this complex path forever either. The God Machine is a new beginning for us. We’ve set a new course and gone back to certain things that we’ve neglected a bit on the last few albums.” The God Machine marks another pinnacle in Blind Guardian’s impressive discography by not attempting to pretend it is still the nineties yet instead successfully relying on the muscle memory of this period. It is a gripping, addictive, and brilliantly arranged album in the tradition of records with which Blind Guardian reached for the stars in the 90s; yet, by no means, is it a throwback. The God Machine represents the heart and soul of Blind Guardian’s timeless metal in the here and now, unifying the bards’ past, present, and future secrets in one consistent, well-thought-out masterpiece.
Together with the announcement, the band shares a video for their new raging single 'Blood Of The Elves', a galloping anthem that is destined to become a live staple. Singer Hansi Kürsch comments: "'Blood Of The Elves' features a pretty heavy side that the avid fan of Blind Guardian hopefully enjoys. More than enjoys, I'd guess. Instrumentally, the track has some kind of an early nineties appeal that blends well into the vocal parts of the opera/twist era and catapults both epochs into a new era for the band. A perfect hybrid. The chorus has some very strong sing-along vibes, despite its complexity. What else do you need? Inspired by the 'The Witcher' computer game series, the lyrics even reinforce the power of this banger and the clip by Dirk Behlau fits perfectly to the whole setting. Let me tell you: The God Machine has even more to offer. And that's no promise - that's the ultimate truth. Stay tuned." 
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 Japanese metal band Bridear have returned with news of their brand new album, Aegis Of Athena, coming next month, alongside an earth-shaking single. ‘Ray Of Chaos’ soars in on feedback and a crushing riff, before unfolding into a melodic epic with the kind of guitar punch that metal fans will love… all topped off with Kimi’s sweetly sensual vocals.
Aegis of Athena is a blistering 11-track opus perfectly blending traditional heavy metal, progressive arrangements, and addictive J-rock hooks. Kimi describes the new album as “an ambitious balance of what inspires us – the new wave of British heavy metal and traditional hard rock bands with strong melodies,” while bassist Haru claims “The arrangements and song writing are really powerful. It will be amazing to play these new songs live!” And ‘Ray Of Chaos’ is a brilliant example of what makes this new album such a huge leap on for the band. “It’s definitely one of our best songs,” says rhythm guitarist Ayumi. “It's a powerful declaration of carving our path and getting the last laugh on those who never believed in us. Bluesy and heavy guitar riffs with a strength conveyed in the lead vocals unlike anything we have done.” Aegis Of Athena is the band’s fifth album, and the second to be available internationally via their deal with Setsuzoku Records. Having become the first Japanese band to tour internationally since the pandemic struck, they won huge amounts of British and European fans last autumn whilst touring their critically acclaimed Bloody Bride album.  That record showcased to international fans Bridear’s metallic sonic assault and stunning technical prowess, marrying sincere lyrics with blazing guitars and insatiable pop hooks. Brimming with big riffs and even bigger hooks all tastefully laced with modern metal characteristics, both Aegis Of Athena and Bloody Bride feature furious thrash passages, blistering lead lines and irresistible melodic sensibilities, showcasing J-metal like you’ve never heard it before. AEGIS OF ATHENA - new album out 13th May. Fans can pre-order physical copies of Aegis Of Athena, including a special bundle with CD and t-shirt here: www.setsushop.com Check out full details here: www.bridear.world  [Photo Credit: Peter Lerch and Elliot Vernon] It’s time to put on your pirate hat and inflate your rubber ducks, because the world-famous Pirate Metal Drinking Crew, Alestorm, have just set sail on a new voyage with their seventh studio album, Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum, set for release on June 24, 2022 via Napalm Records. Pre-orders start now! Alongside its pre-order kick-off, Alestorm have released the charging first single from the new album, “Magellan’s Expedition” – an epic quest telling the tale of Ferdinand Magellan’s historical circumnavigation of the earth in 1522. The official video was filmed on location in a castle, features tons of pyro, and of course, a huge yellow laser-eyed rubber duck fighting a young maiden warrior, transforming her into a real, beautiful duck! Featuring majestic orchestral backing, whirling folky violins and huge Latin choirs, this song is classic Alestorm like you haven’t heard in years – a real throwback to the early days of Captain Morgan’s Revenge! The band spent two years during the lockdown going insane and frantically dredging up the craziest pirate metal anthems from their treasure chest of ideas, and have created the most epic and serious (yes, serious) sounding Alestorm album you’ve ever heard. From the symphonic choir-powered “Magellan’s Expedition” to the rousing anthem “Under Blackened Banners” featuring intense technical riffing and exquisite solo duels, Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum is a real throwback to the early days of Captain Morgan’s Revenge. But fans of the modern Alestorm sound need not worry either – there’s plenty of party mood in the aptly-named future hit song “P.A.R.T.Y.”, and the high speed, insane folk metal banger “Cannonball” has the most ridiculous and offensive lyrics you’ve ever heard in a pirate metal song (making “Fucked With an Anchor” sound tame).
As an extra special treat for the die-hard collector fans, some special editions come with a full acoustic rendition of the entire album, and there’s even a legendary version of the album FOR DOGS once again. In the Wooden Box only, there is a special 7” Single vinyl, including “Christmas with Alestorm” and “Nyár Van”. Seventh Rum of a Seventh Rum will be available in the following formats:
ALESTORM are:
 On January 21st, Battle Beast unleashed their brand new masterpiece "Circus Of Doom," via Nuclear Blast. In true Battle Beast fashion, the 10 tracks blend true heavy metal with pop and rock-vibes, paired with Noora Louhimo’s unique voice. Since its release, the album has entered the charts worldwide, including #1 in their home country Finland, #5 in Switzerland and #9 in Germany. Now, they release their brand new stand-alone single "The Lightbringer," that is also contained on the bonus version of "Circus Of Doom" set to be released on April 29th. Check out 'The Lightbringer' here: https://battlebeast.bfan.link/the-lightbringer.ema The band comments: "We’re really happy to present you these two missing pieces of ”Circus of Doom” that didn’t quite fit the album, but still deserve to be blasted from loudspeakers around the world. ”Lightbringer” presents the more dark and orchestral side of Battle Beast, that knocks you down with a catchy chorus and an absolute hurricane of guitars. Hope you all dig this one!" The bonus version of "Circus of Doom" features two previously unreleased tracks and will also be released on Vinyl. You can pre-order it now on iTunes: https://battlebeast.bfan.link/circus-of-doom-bonus "Circus of Doom" was recorded at JKB Studios in Helsinki, Finland and produced and mixed by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, while the stunning artwork was created by Jan Yrlund. Get "Circus of Doom" in the format of your choice, here: https://bfan.link/circusofdoom BATTLE BEAST is:
 [Photo credit: Dominik Izaquiel Tomé] Symphonic power metal heroes Dragony are nominated for an Amadeus Austrian Music Award – Austria’s biggest and most important prize for national bands and artists – in the category "Hard'n'Heavy". The event will take place on April 29, 2022 in the Volkstheater in Vienna, and will be broadcasted on Austrian public television channel ORF1. Fans can support the band by voting in the Amadeus Awards online poll HERE. The Amadeus Award was presented in 2000 for the first time and has been considered an annual top event in the country's music scene ever since. Artists from Napalm Records have been honoured with the award in the past, with Serenity winning in 2017 and Russkaja in 2020. Dragony comments: "We are very happy about this nomination, and are honoured to receive this nod of recognition for our album Viribus Unitis in our home country of Austria, especially since the concept of the album is heavily influenced by Austrian history. It certainly also feels like our work over the past fifteen years as a Power Metal band in Austria is being appreciated by our local music scene, and we are very grateful for this. Fans can still support us to maybe even win the award, by voting in the Amadeus Awards online poll at https://voting.aama.at/! However regardless of the result, we would like to thank our fans for their continued support over all these years!" Dragony is:
 Rising American power metal force Prehistoria have released debut EP "Cursed Lands" on all major digital platforms.
Combining influences from power metal giants - Blind Guardian, Symphony X, Helloween - with inspiration from the genres of black and thrash metal, Prehistoria has a sound that will appeal to followers of both US and European power metal.
EP Credits:
Prehistoria was formed in 2020 by seasoned musicians in four different states - vocalist Alonso “Zo” Donoso, guitarists Shaun Cothron and Max Otworth, drummer Cody Johns, and bassist Ian Bender. Members have collective decades of experience in the metal scene, with their own groups (Zephaniah, Unity, Well of Night), as well as touring members of Viking, Acheron, and Abigail Williams. Produced amidst an ongoing global pandemic, Cursed Lands, is a triumph of remote collaboration and dedication to heavy metal. The votes are in, have been counted, vetted and verified. So without further ado, we present the winners of the 2021 Global Metal Apocalypse (GMA) awards. All categories except "Release Of The Year" came with an 'other' option. See you in December 2022 Release Of The Year IRON MAIDEN - SENJUTSU  Global Metal Release Of The Year SOULMASTER (NICARAGUA) WARRIOR OF LIGHT  Breakthrough African Band CATHARSIS (EGYPT)  Breakthrough Asian Band OVERLORD (BANGLADESH)  Breakthrough European Band GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS (ENGLAND)  Breakthrough North & Central American Band FLESHTORTURE (NICARAGUA)  Breakthrough Oceanian Band ABYSMIA (HAWAII)  Breakthrough South American Band ALTARS OF REBELLION (COLOMBIA)  Breakthrough UK Band BEYOND EXTINCTION (ESSEX) & GHOSTS OF ATLANTIS (ESSEX / SUFFOLK)  Breakthrough International Band BLIND CHANNEL (FINLAND)  Music Video Of The Year Cradle Of Filth - Necromantic Fantasies   Rockshots Records is proud to announce their signing of cosmic metallers Vanderlust (ft. members of S91, Dreal) for the release of their self-titled debut. Birthed to travel the cosmos, Italy's Vanderlust is a power-heavy metal band with prog-thrash influences that tells tales of space travels, astronomy, space engineering, and sci-fi adventures. The band comments:- "We tried to mix a prog-thrashy riffing in the roots of Megadeth, Vektor and Tool with epic vocal parts like Iron Maiden, Helloween, Angra, and Lione’s Rhapsody. We also put sci-fi elements in our songs, so you can hear also something from Voivod." This debut recording is like a stellar system with 12 different planets. The star at the centre of the system represents the heavy-power metal around all the songs revolving. Despite all the tracks being irradiated by the same light, they are all different from each other. Vanderlust has fast thrash, slow and doom, shiny and brilliant to grunge, and darker songs. Like planets, which appear like simple small bright spots, but in reality, are all big worlds, Vanderlust's songs are more complex than they sound at first listen. In fact, you can easily sing along to some of the choruses even if there are complex riffs in the background. Vanderlust is particularly proud of the participation of opera singer Letizia Cappellini who does vocals on select tracks and helps the band further expand the vocal register of their compositions. The band also adds the presence of synths and electronic elements to the compositions to set the sci-fi mood of the lyrics. The band says that... "The main goal was to start a metal band that could be an inspiration for young people, a band that could tell them stories from the future when mankind will have overcome its limits and the solar system will be an entire human colony. This idea came to mind to founding members Francesco and Santo when they began their search for other members that could fit. Drummer Giacomo Mezzetti joined the space odyssey right before the covid-19 outbreak. Vocalist Riccardo Morello joined the band during the first lockdown in Italy, so the first song was entirely composed online, using videocalls and file sharing." Now, the band unveils their first single "Scavengers of Kuiper Belt", which they explain its story in further detail: "In the Vanderlust Universe, The Scavengers are the employees of a large corporation that operates on many planets and colonies throughout the solar system. Their story begins in the 21st century when their main task was to capture all the space debris in Earth's orbit. Due to the particular business organization and the bizarre recruiting rules, the company turned into a sort of tribe during the centuries. The importance of the Scavengers got bigger and bigger and, at the time of our story, they perform several important tasks, including fathoming the Kuiper belt in search of Ices (large orbiting frozen objects from which extract energy and precious materials). The main characters of our story are two scavengers during a typical working day. To alleviate the boredom of the day they decide to start a competition to find the most profitable Ice in the shortest time. But suddenly, here's something they've never seen... A really strange object, a very precious object... very precious... can I see it? Today it's my birthday... maybe you should give it to me... Do you feel like you've heard this story before? Yup! It's the story of Smeagol and Deagol ... transposed into space!" "Scavengers Of Kuiper Belt" is a speed-power metal song in the vein of Blind Guardian style, fast and powerful. It has some technical sections (especially in the midsection). The singing is heavier and mighty, along with some thrashy riffs, a soft-fusion bridge, and a prog-thrash ending. Listen to "Scavengers of Kuiper Belt" at the following links:
For their live aspect, Vanderlust is currently working hard to create a thrilling spectacle, giving all their energy to the fans and letting them join them on the space journey. Vanderlust is recommended for fans of Iron Maiden, Angra, Tool, Helloween, and Vektor.  6 years after the extremely well-received debut album "The Fall Of Olympus", Dutch purveyors of mythological power death metal Spartan announce their new opus titled "Of Kings and Gods", the essence of a few years' worth of studio work that promises to be nothing short than a masterpiece of the genre! "Of Kings and Gods" is set to be released via Pest Records on January 14th, 2022 in jewel-case CD and limited edition digipak CD versions.  Here's what the band had to say about this: "It's been a very long and wild ride but we are so extremely excited to be able to announce the release our new album: "Of Kings and Gods". Loads of exciting stuff is coming up in the next few weeks to get you warmed up for the release on January 14th 2022... We've been through a lot to get this album to what it is and we couldn't be more proud, grateful and honoured to have worked with some of the best in the industry!" Originating from The Netherlands Spartan are the perfect example of a band that combines Power Metal and Death Metal. Their lyrics are inspired by tales of ancient Greek mythology and are themed around heroic battles, gods and demi-gods in a glorious ode to the past. Spartan: https://www.spartan-metal.com https://www.instagram.com/spartan_nl Pest Records: https://pestrecords.bandcamp.com/ https://www.facebook.com/pestrecords/  Spanish Symphonic Power Metal band Phoenix Rising have signed a licensing deal with Wormholedeath for the album "Acta Est Fabula", due for digital release on 23 07 2021. More info about the physical CD coming soon! “Acta Est Fabula” is the 4th release from Phoenix Rising and it features songs that are a balanced combination of aggressive drums, shredding guitars, epic orchestrations, powerful vocals and catchy chorus. Phoenix Rising have stepped up their game even more on this new album and the level of detail in the production, mixing and composition. “Acta Est Fabula” is a concept album and the band have even written a short novel around the CD for a more complete and immersive experience. Influences for the Album: Rhapsody of Fire, Orden Ogan, Kamelot, Helloween, Brothers of Metal, Two Steps from Hell, Opera Magna, Amaranthe, Arion.
Phoenix Rising was formed in 2007 under the name “Quinta Enmienda” but it was not until 2010 that the band released its debut album “Ne Bis In Idem”. The band toured intensively during the next couple of years and gained good reputation both from public and media. Their convincing performance in front of 5000 metalheads at Sonisphere festival finally got them signed to German label “Sonic Attack” and the band decided to change its name to “Phoenix Rising”. The second album, “MMXII”, was recorded both in English and Spanish language and it finally dropped in March, 2012. The album was distributed worldwide by “SPV” as a double CD and marvelous critics comparing them with world-class bands such as “Rhapsody” or “Sonata Arctica” don’t last to show up. As a result, later that year the band signed another deal with Japanese label Hydrant Music to release an exclusive version of the album containing several bonus tracks in Japan. In late 2013 Phoenix Rising entered the studio to record its third album, “Versus”, which was finally self-published in 2014.While musically speaking, the band kept the same formula acclaimed by the fans and media, lyrically speaking, the band focused more on life-struggle and life-death duality. The tour that followed “Versus” took the band to many new places, not only within Spain but to different cities in France and Belgium during the summer of 2016. After that, the band decided to take a long break from touring to focus in the writings for the upcoming album, “Acta Est Fabula” which aims to become the most ambitious of its career, combining epic orchestrations and choral sections with Phoenix Rising’s trademark of epic vocals and shredding guitars. The album was recorded at New Life Studios between 2018 and 2020 and was funded through a Verkami campaign. “Acta Est Fabula” was officially launched on March 26th, 2021. Band Line-up:
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