HEATHEN
"EMPIRE OF THE BLIND"
Thrash Metal
Year:18.09.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

Bay Area thrash legends HEATHEN are back! New album, Empire of the Blind, picks up where the group’s vaunted trio of full-lengths—Breaking the Silence (1987), Victims of Deception (1991), and The Evolution of Chaos (2010)—left off, but pushes the limits of aggression, melody, and heaviness. Indeed, the idea behind Empire of the Blind was an all-eras full-length, one that had a distinct attitude complemented by shorter, more focused songwriting. Essentially, classic HEATHEN but with updated musical proficiency and economy. Penned by guitarist/songwriter Kragen Lum between 2012 and 2019 at the six-stringer’s studio, Empire of the Blind is a thrash metal tour de force.Conceptually, Empire of the Blind is a big metaphor for modern society, one run by soci...

IRON ANGEL
"EMERALD EYES "
Speed Heavy Metal
Year:02.10.2020
(SPV)

German Speed Metal legend Iron Angel returns this year with the release of their forthcoming fourth studio album "Emerald Eyes", which is set for release in October of 2020 by Mighty Music.The follow-up to their 2018 comeback album "Hellbound", which gathered massive reviews sees the band maturing and refining their sound without compromising intensity and aggression, quite the contrary. The new release brings back a lot of the thrashiness, that has been somewhat absent from anything the band has done since their 1985 debut "Hellish Crossfire". On the other hand, the songwriting, the performances, and the overall package, everything has reached a new level in quality and with it’s clear (though not sterile) production, the band sounds fresh, hungry, and energetic....

SODOM
"GENESIS XIX"
Thrash Metal
Year:27.11.2020
(SPV)

Altenessen, a social melting-pot deep in the heart of the Ruhr Area. From the mid-19th century, the region supplied Europe’s industrialisation with the required raw materials, mined under back-breaking conditions below ground in coal pits named Carl, Anna, Fritz-Heinrich, Helene and the like. Altenessen is also the musical domicile of Tom Angelripper, vocalist/bassist of German metal act Sodom, who has met for some years with his band members in a ratty rehearsal room in that part of Essen to produce tough-as-nails thrash music. To other musicians, such information may be of marginal interest; to Tom it is an important component of his recipe for success. “I want guys from the Ruhr, who share my background, with whom I can work and rehearse consistently,” explains Sodo...

WARFECT
"SPECTRE OF DEVASTATION"
Thrash Metal
Year:13.11.2020
(NAPALM RECORDS)

Crushing Swedish metal with a modernized, yet classic thrash-inspired attack!WARFECT is one of the most convincing yet underrated acts in the Swedish metal scene. Straight from the Gothenborg underground, the three-piece carries their full potential to the next level with their fourth full length album Spectre of Devastation! Their debut on Napalm Records lifts the curtain and unveils a true thrash metal engine.Straight away the first notes of “Pestilence” state clear that this wrecking machine has not come to take prisoners. The Swedish artillery strikes in the tradition of Kreator, Legion Of The Damned and old school American thrash metal and paves its way with uncompromisingly driving blasts and smashing drums. “Left To Rot” mixes a bla...

SNOWY WHITE
"SOMETHING ON ME"
Blues/ Rock
Year:09.10.2020
(SOULFOOD MUSIC)

Snowy White is one of a handful of classic blues-orientated British electric guitar players - musicians whose sound, technique and style has echoed the originality of the blues with the excitement of contemporary rock.He has developed his own style of 'English' blues, a combination of clear, clean blues phrases and harder-edged riffs that are a recognisable feature of his very personal songs.In the Autumn of 1976 he was invited to tour America and Europe with Pink Floyd as their first augmenting musician, a gig which took up most of his time throughout 1977. In 1979, Peter Green decided to head for the studio once more and invited Snowy and his band along to jam. The result was the album entitled 'In the Skies', now something of a collector&ap...

EVILDEAD
"UNITED STATES OF ANARCHY"
Thrash Metal
Year:30.10.2020
(SPV)

- 3rd  studio album by one of the heaviest Thrash Metal bands from the USA feat. Juan Garcia (ex-Abattoir and Agent Steel, current Body Count guitar player).-Produced by Bill Metoyer (Slayer, Sacred Reich, Flotsam & Jetsam).-Artwork by Ed Repka (Megadeth, Nuclear Assault, Death).-Incl. the single and video  “The Descending”.-High class digipak version.-High class LP version incl. 1 bonus track, in orange with black swirls.In 2019 EVILDEAD secured a recording deal with SPV/Steamhammer for their upcoming release entitled UNITED $TATE$ OF ANARCHY (Release date: 30 October 2020). It will feature nine studio tracks plus a me...

BELPHEGOR
"NECRODAEMON TERRORSATHAN"
Black Metal
Year:06.11.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

FOUNDER / BAND LEADER HELMUTH STATES:“We originally composed this album 1998-1999, tracking and releasing in 2000. Former guitarist Sigurd [1993-2006] who marched with me around the globe wrote three songs on this monster. Session drums were handled by Manfred “Man” Gandler [Mastic Scum] and bass by Mario Klausner [Pungent Stench, Collapse VII]. To re-record “Necrodaemon Terrorsathan” was a really exciting experiment for me, and for the horde to listen to how it would sound if we had tracked the tune in the present era. The band went to the studio to create this digital-only single, coming out in August 2020.We’ve again forged an extreme Black Death Metal package to march throughout Europe, After all these unfortunate cancellat...

SURMA
"THE LIGHT WITHIN"
Symphonic Female Metal
Year:06.11.2020
(METAL BLADE RECORDS)

Soaring, dramatic and moving, The Light Within introduces Surma as one of the most riveting symphonic metal bands on the contemporary scene. Spread out across 13 tracks in 47 minutes, there is not a moment wasted as they weave their epic stories of optimism around music that is suitably gigantic but compressed into relatively short songs. "I think the real message of the album is to give hope to everyone, no matter what they are struggling with," states vocalist Viktorie Surmøvá, best known for her work with Bohemian Metal Rhapsody.Teaming up with guitarist/vocalist Heri Joensen of Týr, the band began in 2018 and spent most of 2019 writing, arranging and recording the music that would comprise their debut. Starting from vocal melodies and building the so...

FATES WARNING
"LONG DAY GOOD NIGHT"
Progressive Metal
Year:06.11.2020
(METAL BLADE RECORDS)

Fates Warning have been a formidable presence in progressive metal for more than 35 years, helping to shape and drive the genre without ever compromising their integrity or losing relevance. They return in 2020 with Long Day Good Night, the most epic and longest album of their storied career - mixed by Joe Barresi. "The styles of music we've written distinguish this record from the rest of our catalogue," states vocalist Ray Alder. "There are some songs with electronics and some with a nice ethereal feel, as well as some pretty straightforward grooves, at least for us. And there are also some pretty heavy songs. We tried to give the listener a host of different things to listen to, as opposed to an album where every song sounds the same." As such, the album is something of a roller...

ARMORED SAINT
"PUNCHING THE SKY"
Heavy Metal
Year:23.10.2020
(METAL BLADE RECORDS)

Leaders and stalwarts of the American heavy metal scene since the early 80s, Armored Saint's Punching The Sky sees them returning hard. A diverse, attitude-drenched collection, it's everything the band's faithful have come to expect from them while pushing their signature sound forward. "The goal is to write really good music. I know I'm stating the obvious here but that's about the size of our agenda," says bassist Joey Vera. "We've been able to shed a lot of expectations that sometimes plague a band like ours that has been around a long time, and we've recently moved into a comfort zone with just being ourselves. We have this kind of freedom now that we didn't really have early in our career, and we can take some chances and make the kind of mus...

STALKER
"BLACK MAJIK TERROR"
Speed Heavy Metal
Year:30.10.2020
(NAPALM RECORDS)

The 2nd studio album of New Zealand’s leading Speed Metal Monsters! STÄLKER deliver a pure 80s speed metal gem! Black Majik Terror is the ultimate throwback!“2020 marks the electrifying arrival of STÄLKER's newest offering, Black Majik Terror. Hot off the heels of their last single Powermad, Stälker wasted no time in disproving the lurking presence of the dreaded sophomore slump. 2017's Shadow of the Sword received an exuberant response and now the band is back with more speed, more power, and most importantly more riffs. Black Majik Terror is a cacophony of speed metal mayhem sure to enchant any and all freaks, from the nefarious hordes of metalheads to the street side mobs of low down rock n rollers. With primal energy fueling their ass...

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS
"A SYMPHONIC JOURNEY TO REMEMBER"
Symphonic Female Metal
Year:30.10.2020
(NAPALM RECORDS)

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS continue their everlasting symphonic journey, drawing the listener into the maritime depths with their first ever LIVE Blu-ray/DVD A Symphonic Journey To Remember, which was recorded live at the 2019 BANG YOUR HEAD!!! Festival with the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague, to be released via Napalm Records on September 25th 2020. With unique and powerful live performances and an unmistakable interpretation of symphonic heaviness, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS are currently enchanting audiences globally. In 2019 the band realized their dream of captioning their symphonic experience at the highest level - supported by the orchestral accompaniment of the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague for the very first time, the quintet captivated the audience once again with their impressive ...

INSIDIOUS DESEASE
"AFTER DEATH"
Death Metal
Year:30.10.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

AFTER DEATH is a modern death metal powerhouse that will awaken your old school instincts to forage for more!Sonically inducing a depraved and morbid condition of the mind, INSIDIOUS DISEASE have returned to present their second full length album: »After Death«. Freshly signed to Nuclear Blast Records, the band convenes (with members currently and previously of DIMMU BORGIR, MORGOTH, NILE. NAPALM DEATH, and SUSPERIA) to create a modern venture into classic death metal. Still in the early stages of existence with only their debut album »Shadowcast« (2010) preceding, INSIDIOUS DISEASE are ripe with a hellish energy that seeks to sear its way across the universe of heavy metal.The title »After Death« carries with it philosophical ...

CARCASS
"DESPICABLE"
Death Metal
Year:30.10.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

True metal originators, Carcass influenced extreme metal all over the globe with early records like “Symphonies of Sickness” (1989) and “Heartwork” (1993). After a seventeen yearalbum sabbatical, critics and fans alike lauded 2013’s “Surgical Steel”, the band’s first record since “Swansong” (1996), and the band's return to form. Bigger than ever Carcass toured the world for years supporting the album. In the lead up to a new 2021 full length Carcass will be offering the EP “Despicable” on Oct 30. The 4-track collection is made up of songs not featured on the band's upcoming 2021 full length. The first single “The Living Dead at the Manchester Morgue” will be released Aug 21, with a second singl...

PALLBEARER
"FORGOTTEN DAYS"
Doom Heavy Metal
Year:23.10.2020
(NUCLEAR BLAST)

INFECTIOUS & TRANSCENDENT: PALLBEARER RELEASE NEW ALBUM “FORGOTTEN DAYS”.Carefully plotted throughout 2019, the quartet's fourth long-player eschews the compositional maximalism that hoisted predecessor »Heartless« aloft for the heaviest groove and the most visceral hooks to come out of the Arkansans to date. Spread across eight towering tracks, »Forgotten Days« sees PALLBEARER embracing their roots again, but this time with a doom-infused metallic spark that's infectious and transcendent. Indeed, this album is everything a PALLBEARER fan could love. It is a raw and riveting evolution, filled with emotion and the unique downcast exuberance that has defined the band's storied career.PALLBEARER have found the p...