METAL CHURCH
"FROM THE VAULT (CD)"
Heavy Metal
Year:10.04.2020
(NAPALM RECORDS)

  In April 2020 the band will release a very special album via Reaper Entertainment. "From The Vault" is a collection of previously unreleased songs from the Mike Howe era.  ( New Studio Tracks, B-Side Tracks From The Damned If You Do Sessions, Cover Songs, USA Bonus Tracks From The XI Album )    Born out of the West Coast metal scene of the 80’s, METAL CHURCH quickly became one of the standout talents of the genre. After signing a deal with Elektra Records, they released two critically acclaimed albums. Their self-titled release »Metal Church« established the band as one of the pioneers of the thrash/metal scene. The All Music Guide had this to say about the debut: “The band’s incredibly tight musicianship is a highligh...

CIRITH UNGOL
"FOREVER BLACK"
Heavy Metal
Year:24.04.2020
(METAL BLADE RECORDS)

On April 24th, Cirith Ungol will release their new album, Forever Black - their first collection of all-new material in 29 years! Cirith Ungol was formed in Ventura, California in the early 1970s, first appearing on the scene with their self-financed debut album, Frost and Fire, via their own Liquid Flame Records imprint in April 1981. It was obscure and arcane, mysterious and eccentric, epic and expansive, but most of all unfailingly, bone-crushingly heavy, dark and doom-filled.Cirith Ungol went on to release two additional studio albums - King of the Dead and One Foot in Hell - now regarded as stone-cold classics. However, by the early 1990s, the musical climate was shifting away from traditional metal. The band was plagued with lineup instability and then came an unsatisf...

AYREON
"ELECTRIC CASTLE LIVE AND OTHER TALES"
Progressive Metal
Year:27.03.2020
(MASCOT LABEL GROUP)

- Ayreon is the highly acclaimed project from singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist / record producer Arjen Lucassen. -  Ayreon Electric Castle Live And Other Tales is an unique performance featuring original singers of the highly acclaimed Into The Electric Castle album & Other Tales from Ambeon, Stream Of Passion, Guilt Machine, The Gentle Storm, Marillion and Arjen Anthony Lucassen. - Close to 6 hours of content including a 2.5 hour concert, 1.5+ hour Behind The Scenes and Extended Interview as 2 extra’s. - Featuring original album singers and musicians, such as Thijs Van Leer, Fish, Damian Wilson, Edward Reekers, Anneke van Giersbergen, and several special guests including Simone Simons (Epica) and Star Trek's John De Lancie as ...

KREATOR
"LONDON APOCALYPTICON - LIVE AT THE ROUNDHOUSE"
Thrash Metal
Year:14.02.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

Keep the flag of hate flying high: Thrash legionaries KREATOR have just closed the most successful cycle of their entire career. For a band entering its 38th year, that's outright remarkable. Above all else, though, it's rare. Bloody rare. The hunger, the fury, the lust for noise – everyone who came out to see KREATOR live since they released their thundering “Gods of Violence” knows about the Thrash apocalypse Mille and his crew brought upon stages around the globe.It's only coherent to end this historic cycle with an equally fierce live release. Enter “London Apocalypticon – Live At The Roundhouse”, capturing the demolition-hammer-like show at London's revered The Roundhouse on December 16th, 2018 – as raw, as l...

DINAZTY
"THE DARK DELIGHT"
Melodic Heavy Metal
Year:03.04.2020
(AFM RECORDS)

- Seventh album of Sweden's biggest Modern Metal hope Dynazty. “The Dark Delight” combines modern melodic metal sound with excellent chorus driven songwriting. Lead singer Nils Molin is also known for his work with Amaranthe. Mixed and Mastered by: Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Epica). For Fans Of: Pretty Maids, Amaranthe, H.E.A.T. ...Dynazty was formed in 2008 in the swedish capital and shortly after the arrival of singer extraordinaire Nils Molin the five-piece gained a cult following and the critical acclaim with its epic melodic metal, five great albums and any number of shows. The band started out with their 2009 debut "Bring The Thunder", but after that straying from their early days of 80’s influenced Hardrock, they have dev...

SEPULTURA
"QUADRA"
Thrash/ Death Metal
Year:07.02.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

It goes without saying that the global metal scene would not be the same without SEPULTURA. For 35 years now, the Brazilian icons are not only a band revered worldwide; they have been, are and forever will be at the very forefront of Thrash Metal, trailblazing ever since they released their long-since legendary debut album “Morbid Visions” in 1986.While quickly establishing themselves as leaders of the second wave of Thrash already in the late eighties, to this day they never came even close to stagnation. “Quadra”, their mighty new undertaking, is proof of a will unbroken, a thirst unquenched and a quality so staggeringly high it’s a wonder this band doesn’t implode. Now three albums deep into what may very well be their strongest incarna...

BONFIRE
"FISTFUL OF FIRE"
Hard Rock/ Melodic Heavy Metal
Year:03.04.2020
(AFM RECORDS)

- German Hard Rock legends Bonfire are hitting hard with their new studio album “Fistful Of Fire”. “Fistful Of Fire” combines heaviness with great melodies and by that captures the true essence of Bonfire - the embodiment of "Hard'n'Heavy made in Germany" since more than 35 years.- The previous album “Temple Of Lies” reached #29 on the official German charts. Mix and mastering by Tom Müller (John Lord) at Flatliners Recording Studios a long-time partner of Bonfire.The combination of toughness and great melodies suites Bonfire perfectly. The German Hard Rock Legends prove this with their newest studio album “Fistful Of Fire”, which again has all trademarks typical to Bonfire: charismatic vocals, atchy riffs ...

WISHBONE ASH
"COAT OF ARMS"
Hard Rock
Year:28.02.2020
(SPV)

- WISHBONE ASH celebrates this year their 50th anniversary!!! The band released legendary albums like “Argus”, “There’s The Rub” and “Live Dates”. The band, still led by original member Andy Powell, was a huge influence for Iron Maiden’s bass player Steve Harris. The new album is back to the roots and the first one since 2014.
Their latest release Coat Of Arms forges an arc to all these offerings, featuring Wishbone Ash’s characteristic twin lead guitar parts, their haunting melodies and diverse stylistic facets, while at the same time imbuing the scene with a breath of fresh air. Coat Of Arms will be available on Steamhammer/SPV from 28 February 2020 on CD, vinyl double LP and for digital downloa...

AXEL RUDI PELL
"SIGN OF THE TIMES"
Hard Rock/ AOR
Year:24.04.2020
(SPV)

The figures speak for themselves: more than 1.7 million albums sold worldwide, 2.6 million streams for the top 10 predecessor  “Knights Call“ (2018). Now AXEL RUDI PELL is about to release “Sign Of The Times“, his 18th (!) studio album in 31 years. But not quantity matters - it’s the quality that counts, stupid!  His consistency enjoys more and more respect and appreciation within the hard & heavy community. Not every time, but with increasing frequency you hear the term ‘cult‘ when it comes to AXEL RUDI PELL. Being the man that he is, he cannot rely on that idea, but “if someone is that successful over such a long period of time, he might as well deserve it.” Sounds down to earth? Well, it was meant that way. “Wh...

NIGHTWISH
"HUMAN. :II: NATURE."
Symphonic/ Folk Metal
Year:10.04.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

When Finnish sextet NIGHTWISH announce a new studio album people tend to take notice. They know that something special is brewing. Band leader Tuomas Holopainen once said that whenever he creates a new record he has the intention of capturing something rare and unique, a monument and a true album experience. In 2020 he’s certain to achieve his objective once again. NIGHTWISH have completed the recordings for their 9th studio album and are proud to announce the title, artwork (above) and tracklisting. ‘HUMAN. :II: NATURE.’ will be released on 10th April 2020. The long-awaited record, following 2015’s critically-acclaimed ‘Endless Forms Most Beautiful’, will be a double album containing 9 tracks on the main CD and one long track, divided into eight chap...

SUICIDE SILENCE
"BECOME THE HUNTER"
Death Metal
Year:14.02.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

The impact of southern CA’s SUICIDE SILENCE on extreme metal is undeniable. Since the band’s inception in 2004 and the subsequent release of genre defining tracks like “You Only Live Once”, “Unanswered” and “You Can’t Stop Me” SUICIDE SILENCE took deathcore to enormous crowds selling hundreds of thousands of records and playing enormous stages around the world. Nuclear Blast is excited to announce the release of the upcoming SUICIDE SILENCE record “Become the Hunter” on Feb 14, 2020!“Become The Hunter” was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, HATEBREED) at The Omen Room and mixed by Josh Wilbur (TRIVIUM, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA). Ted Jensen (PANTERA, DEFTONES, SLIPKNOT) maste...

SYLOSIS
"CYCLE OF SUFFERING"
Thrash/ Death Metal
Year:07.02.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

But four years on, normal service is due to resume, as he relaunches his band with stunning new album Cycle Of Suffering. After spending his time off exploring new creative avenues and contemplating his own artistic desires, Middleton returns to Sylosis with a rejuvenated spirit.As ever, Josh is being needlessly modest. Cycle Of Suffering is immediately recognisable as the most vital and explosive record yet to be released under the Sylosis name. While still bearing many of the band’s expected sonic hallmarks, the likes of I Sever and Shield take a subtly ingenious approach to state-of-theart thrash metal, infusing everything with a sense of perpetual invention and untrammelled intensity. There are huge melodies and gleaming hooks erupting throughout this sustained, 50...

AD INFINITUM
"CHAPTER I - MONARCHY"
Symphonic Female Metal
Year:03.04.2020
(NAPALM RECORDS)

AD INFINITUM presents a dark symphonic ceremony to ring in a new era!AD INFINITUM sets the stage for your darkest nightmares with their smashing debut Chapter I: Monarchy. The album grabs your demons by the horns, boasting energetic and uncompromising symphonic metal set atop a rousing journey throughout history. Escaping the Black Death and transporting you to another era, standout track “Marching on Versailles” breaks in with smashing drums and forceful guitar riffs. Melissa Bonny’s multi-faceted vocals fill every fiber of the anthemic “Demons” — from powerful, fragile highs to deep growls, the track will send shivers down your spine. The energetic and equally melodic soundscapes of the vigorous ballad “Fire and Ice“ perfectl...

CANDLEMASS
"THE PENDULUM"
Doom Heavy Metal
Year:27.03.2020
(NAPALM RECORDS)

"The Pendulum" - the masterful new EP by the undisputed kings of epic doom, staving off your hunger for more until CANDLEMASS' next full-length hits!Grammy-nominated classic doom icons CANDLEMASS don't even need to drop a full-length for every release to prove they belong at the top of an entire genre and beyond. Fully comprised of never-before-heard, unused tracks cut from the The Door To Doom recording sessions, the band’s masterful new EP, The Pendulum, perfectly showcases that these timeless Swedish pioneers are the undisputed kings of epic doom.The fully-mastered EP opener/title track “The Pendulum” charges in with a melodic, head-swinging, thrashy rush - setting the stage for the raw, unfiltered steamrolling demo cut, "Porcelain ...

TESTAMENT
"TITANS OF CREATION"
Thrash Metal
Year:03.04.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

The time has arrived for TESTAMENT to unleash new thunder to the masses and reveal their thirteenth studio album: Titans Of Creation. Just as the elements of this planet thrive within all living creatures, each musician in TESTAMENT represents a necessary component of this latest musical endeavour. Still filled with a massive and unstoppable energy since their last release, TESTAMENT has taken their style to the next level and present an album that is loyal to the roots of traditional thrash metal while still bringing alluring, brilliant, and progressive ingredients to the table. Bass is showcased, new vocals are introduced, and as expected, the guitarwork of Peterson and Skolnick is greatly complex and mesmerizing.In 2020 the days of writing an album all together in one roo...