This is awesome. Check out this black metal version for Bones' 'Glad We Have Understanding', recorded by Russian metal band Second To Sun. You can download the track from their bandcamp page (for free if you like).

Belgian post-punk acts The Mary Hart Attack are setting up a crowdfunding campaign in order to be able to buy new equipment after 80% of their stuff was stolen from their rehearsal room. Read the full statement below

Donate here: http://worldofcrowdfunding.com/help-mary-hart-attack-een-bestolen-band

Dear friends, family, acquaintances, fellow musicians, and especially music lovers,
The Mary Hart Attack is in deep mourning. On April 23, 2016, we found out that our rehearsal room was robbed. Eighty percent of our instruments and gear were stolen. An extension of our body has been taken from us. The police was informed, and now you too.
DIY to DIWYS
As a band we stick to the DIY-philosophy (Do It Yourself). But sometimes DIY isn’t enough. Now we count on you! Given the situation we are now as a DIWYS-band (Do It With Your Support).
The probability that we find our material is small. We have to get over it. How painful it might be. We are in a very bad financial situation at the moment. The deficit runs up to around 12.000 euro. We are talking about a professional drumkit, very good cymbals, terrific amps, unique pedals …
We need money. It is as simple as that. Every contribution is important to us. 5 or 500 euros? You see what you can do. We didn’t have an insurance. We didn’t expect something like this would happen. We are licking our wounds right now. You can support us financially. Above you can enter a free gift. Below you can support us while we make you happy with perks. Check them out!
We plan a benefit gig. We are looking for a convenient moment and venue! We hope somewhere in June.
Here are the various options to support us financially:

• No perks. Just a normal donation of at least 5 euro. Just for sympathy. You will be rewarded with a shoutout on facebook. Do it above here.

Support with perks:

• 5 euro: shoutout on facebook.
• 10 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus 1 entry for the benefit gig.
• 15 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus 1 entry for the benefit gig, plus a digital version of our full album via Bandcamp.
• 30 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus 1 entry for the benefit gig, plus a physical version of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• 50 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus your name mentioned on the sleeve of our full album: ‘with support and help from’. You also get an 1 entry to the benefit gig, plus a physical version of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• 80 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus you choose two names to be mentioned on the sleeve of our full album: ‘with support and help from …’. You also get two entry tickets to the benefit gig, plus a physical version of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• 100 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus you choose two names to be mentioned on the sleeve of our full album: ‘with support and help from …’. You also get two entry tickets to the benefit gig, plus two physical version of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• 130 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus entry for 5 persons to the benefit gig, plus 5 physical versions of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• 250 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus entry for 10 person to the benefit gig, plus 10 physical versions of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• 500 euro: shoutout on facebook, plus a concert of The Mary Hart Attack on a location of you choice (within a circle of 50 km around Ghent, everything beyond that is possible for if 0.35 cent/km). You take care of a good PA. Plus entry for 5 persons to the benefit gig, plus 5 physical versions of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• 750 euro: shoutout op facebook, plus a statement as ‘co producer’ on the sleeve of the cd and vinyl of our full album. You also get an entry for 10 persons to the benefit gig, plus 10 physical versions of our full album (cd) signed by the whole band.
• More than 750 euro: go back to the top of this page! Same rules as with 750 euro, but the more you give, the more prominent you will be on the sleeve!

Eyes open
Keep your eyes open. We have a lot of information on our stolen instruments and gear. We have an inventory. Click here to view the inventory, serial numbers and photos. If you see our gear on a market or on second hand channels (online and offline) then email all useful information to themaryhartattack@gmail.com
Despite everything, we keep our heads up. Even though we feel practically decapitated.
Thanks for your support


Kristof, Will and Kris
The Mary Hart Attack

Latvian thrash metal band Saintorment have just released a video for the song 'Empty Sign'. The video show a trip to the former-industrial heart of their hometown Daugavpils.

This one goes right into our 'brilliant covers' section. Portuguese melodic death metal band APOTHEUS just released a cover music video for the 80's classic "Eye of the Tiger". 

Stoners of Belgium (and surrounding countries), it is now time to mark 14, 15 and 16 October in you agendas because the mighty Desertfest carnival will make a stop at Trix in Antwerp that weekend. The organisation just announced a first batch of names.

PENTAGRAM
MY SLEEPING KARMA
TORCHE
YOUR HIGHNESS
ELECTRIC CITIZEN

Early bird tickets are sold out but you can still get combi tickets (€95) at http://desertfest.be/
​

Yes it's true. British progressive blackened death metal band (what a mouthful) Akercocke have announced their reunion and published their first song in over nine years.

From their facebook-page:

We have returned after a 5 year absence from the live circuit. We are reinvigorated by the return of our original guitarist Paul Scanlan and the ranks are completed by Dam front man Nathaniel Underwood on bass guitar. Following the great experience the band enjoyed in 2008, we are proud to return to the Bloodstock Festival Main Stage for a second time. Expect fan favourites from the past and killer new tunes from the present. See you down the front!

Obviously, a decent reunion demands new music, and also in that Akercocke delivers. Check out their newest song.

American black metal masterminds Wolves In The Throne room are about to reissue their out-of-print debut album 'Diadem Of 12 Stars' on 17 June.

They have remastered the audio with Jason Ward at Chicago Mastering Service and re-scanned all photography from original negatives.

It will be available on CD, Cassette, Digital & 2xLP with gatefold Stoughton jackets & full color inner sleeves. Green mist vinyl limited to 1000 copies for the world.Pre-order physical copies here: http://shop.wittr.com/
or digital from Bandcamp - http://geni.us/WITTRdiademBandcamp or iTunes - http://geni.us/WITTRdiademiTunes
We’re also returning to the Eastern US and Canada for a Fall 2016 Tour…
Dates, cities, and venues are listed below and all tickets are on sale at noon local time on Friday 29th April
See you out there.
9.13 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar
9.14 - Philadelphia, PA - Kung Fu Necktie
9.15 - Washington, DC - DC9 Nightclub
9.17 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
9.18 - Atlanta, GA - The EARL
9.19 - New Orleans - Gasa Gasa
9.20 - Austin, TX - Barracuda Austin
9.21 - Dallas, TX - Club Dada
9.22 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
9.23 - Chicago, IL - The Empty Bottle
9.24 - Toronto, ON - Lee's Palace
9.26 - Portland, ME - SPACE Gallery
9.27 - Somerville, MA - Cuisine en Locale

Swedish post-rock act PG Lost have just announced that they have signed with Pelagic Records. A new album is in the making and should be available later this year. Meanwhile, the label will re-release their albums 'Key'(2012) and 'In Never Out' (2009)
preorder now:
"In Never Out" (2xLP) - http://pelagic-records.com/?p=7611
"Key" (2xLP) - http://pelagic-records.com/?p=7616
"In Never Out (CD) - http://pelagic-records.com/?p=7824
"Key" (CD) - http://pelagic-records.com/?p=7822

French extreme metal horde Gojira are about to release their new album 'Magma'. As a first glimpse, they published a video for the track 'Stranded'. They also put up a pre-order campaign on their website, so you can make sure to get your hands on a copy of this beast.

Finnish cinematic metal band Dark Sarah will release a new album called "The Puzzle" later this year. The first music video for the song "Little Men" is just released, along with a crowdfunding/preorder campaign on Indiegogo.

​Musically "The Puzzle" album will continue the cinematic metal sound, but this time a bit heavier and faster, combining different music styles spiced up with black humor and mystical stories with creatures of the Underworld.

Israeli Progressive Extreme Metal band Winterhorde have released an official lyric video for the title track from forthcoming album Maestro. Maestro is scheduled to be released on May 20 through ViciSolum Productions. You can already preorder the album here

Combining vision with impressive musical expertise, the veterans orchestrated a powerful, epic tale of classical music and divine madness while drowning deep into the clutches of the underworld. Maestro is the band's strongest and most emotive powerhouse release to date. Prepare your ears for a true and deadly epic!

Tracklist:

​1. That Night in Prague
2. Antipath
3. Worms of Souls
4. They Came with Eyes of Fire
5. Chronic Death
6. The Heart of Coryphee
7. A Dying Swan
8. Maestro
9. Through the Broken Mirror
10. Cold
11. Dancing in Flames

Belgian sludge / post-hardcore band Eleanora have just revealed a teaser for their upcoming album 'Allure'. The album will be released by Consouling Sounds on 6 May. You can already pre-order the album on CD (here) or vinyl (here)

Here is a message from the gore masters Avulsed:

Hi Goremaniacs!

      To celebrate the 25th anniversary of AVULSED we've decided to commit a very ambitious project, that is a double album containing 18 of our most outstanding songs from our entire discography showing not only the evolution of these songs through the years, but also adding very special guest vocalists on each song: Peter (VADER), Barney (NAPALM DEATH), Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES), Sven (ABORTED), Antti Boman (DEMILICH), Chris Reifert (AUTOPSY), Per Böder (GOD MACABRE), Anton Reisenegger (PENTAGRAM CHILE), Kam Lee (ex-MASSACRE), Rogga Johansson (PAGANIZER), Mike Van Mastrigt (ex-SINISTER), John McEntee (INCANTATION), Ville Koskela (PURTENANCE), Will Rahmer (MORTICIAN), Ludo (SUPURATION), Johan Jansson (INTERMENT) & Paul Zavaleta (DETERIOROT). A total of 17 singers in 17 of the songs!!

      This double album (80 min.) will be released in a deluxe double CD digipack with slipcase and a thick 40 pages booklet containing the original versions on disc #2 (just for the freaks who hate re-recordings), double gatefold 12"LP and double Cassette with slipcase!! "Deathgeneration" will come on a very limited black boxset with silver foiled logo, of which only approx. 100 copies will be made containing the 2-CD, 2-LP & 2-MC. This special cassette release can only be obtained on this boxset that will come with T-shirt, poster, signed photo card, sticker, patch, badge, guitar pick and other goodies. The 2-CD, 2-LP & T-shirt can be obtained separately or in bundles too. For this ambitious (and expensive) project, AVULSED will need the inestimable collaboration of its fans for which the band will release a Crowfunding campaign during the next days.

HELP US TO ACHIEVE THIS HISTORIC PROJECT!!

The goal of this Crowfunding campaign is to get back all costs incurred on the recording, mixing, mastering, artwork, design and manufacturing of the different articles related to "Deathgeneration". It's quite a lot of money for us (not even this goal of 12.000€ will be enough, but will help!! Hopefully we'll surpass it!!) and we can only get this done with the help of the real AVULSED goremaniacs worldwide!! 

      Please, spread this campaign as much as you can and encourage your friends to participate!! The more money we get, more we'll invest in doing more things, not only the ones here offered. Most probably we'll make higher quality stuff, add goodies, perhaps some video-clip... who knows!!

      Unfortunately we only have the chance to accept payments through PAYPAL, so those of you who don't have an account, you can always ask a favour to some friend, he pay for it and later you pay to him somehow, hehe!!

      We can't actually offer you previews of the articles, because we still haven't got the cover art done, but you can expect another astonishing cover art!!

      Release date for "Deathgeneration" is planned for 1st of November, but we'll need to be manufacturing everything during the summer to get it ready by autumn and mail out all pre-orders during October.

OMINOUS ECLIPSE has posted a new lyric video for the title track from their latest album 'End of Days' released in 2015, which was an immediate follow up to their 2014 debut EP 'Beyond The Apocalypse'. 

Vocalist/ guitarist Graham Murphy comments on the lyric video:

"End Of Days," the title speaks for itself. We took an "end of the world" concept and used a "balance of light and darkness" theme with a biblical topic. The idea is "Death," symbolized as darkness, shadowing over the world to consume all life. Humanity turns to "God," symbolized as light, in hope for salvation. God is the one who sent Death seeing us as being undeserving of the gift of life. Although the song may come off as trying to preach morals from a religious sense, we are really just portraying an apocalypse themed song where both light and darkness are our enemy." 

Tracklist:

​1. Death March (2:36)
2. Morning Hate (3:55)
3. The Reckoning (4:57)
4. Pestilence (3:36)
5. Desecration (4:30)
6. Plains of Death (5:49)
7. Aspects of War (5:00)
8. Abandoned (5:12)
9. End of Days (4:1)
10. Beyond The Apocalypse (5:11)

Austrian gothic rockers Luna Rise have revealed a video for their cover of Ultravox' megahit 'Dancing With Tears In My Eyes'. The song comes off their 'Dark Days & Bright Nights' album, which I reviewed a few days ago (read).