Polish metal act Crystal Viper has returned with the follow up to the band's 2017's return album "Queen of the Witches," the first to follow vocalist/guitarist Marta Gabriel's health issues in 2013 (after the release of the enjoyable, but not completely up to par, "Possession"), which had cast a shadow over the band's future. "Queen of the Witches" was true to form adding speed and power to flank Gabriel's trademark Ann Wilson meets Leather Leone vocal style. When "Tales of

As a child, did you ever dream of what it would have been like had Venom sounded like early Dokken, but kept the same lyrical content. Would they still have been the forefathers of "black metal"? Or what if Celtic Frost turned glam and....strike that, it DID happen. Sweden's Deaf Rat has decided to inject some evil into vanilla hard rock, as if Ghost morphed into Hardcore Superstar. Deaf Rat draws its dark lyrics from current events and isn't quite so tongue-in-cheek. The res

Two years ago I was made a promise by guitarist/composer Roberto De Micheli, as Rhapsody of Fire released a compilation of newly re-recorded classic material called "Legendary Years." Roberto simply said: "I promise to you a great new album for 201[9]!" That promise was fulfilled with "The Eighth Mountain," the band's strongest effort since "The Frozen Tears of Angels." The band has finally presented a Rhapsody of Fire album that represents the true succession of the band in

Don't ever let it be said that progressive metal lacks "metal," especially when you reference bands like Evergrey. In the consistently morphing world of "progressive," many acts have blurred the lines of what many of us remember as metal, but Evergrey keeps reinforcing just how great the subgenre could be. "The Atlantic" represents the third in a trilogy story arc that began with "Hymns for the Broken" in 2014 and continuing with "The Storm Within" in 2016. With "The Atlantic

Bassist/songwriter Fitty Weinhold announced that he has split with U.D.O. (the band created and fronted by ex-Accept frontman Udo Dirkschneider) after 23 years in the band as a partner to Dirkschneider. His last show with the band will be in October. The emotional video can be found in the player above. Weinhold promises that he has one musical venture left on his "bucket list" and he will surprise fans with that soon. As of press time, U.D.O. has not made any statement, nor

Highly acclaimed guitarist Gus G. (Firewind) posted a playthrough clip for the song "Thrill Of The Chase," which you can check out in the player above. The song appears on his latest solo album “Fearless,” which dropped back in April via AFM Records (grab a copy here). Check out Gus on tour here: Festivals: July 7 BUL Burgas - Burgas Jam August 17 CZ Rock Heart Festival USA: Sep 13 Houston, TX - Scoutbar+ Sep 14 San Antonio, TX - Rockbox+ Sep 15 Dallas, TX - Trees+ Sep 16 Lub

Finnish traditional/speed metal act Oz released a new video clip for the song "Heart of a Beast," which is available in the player above. The song is taken from the band's latest album "Transition State," which was released back in October 2017 via AFM Records. #Oz #AFMRecords #musicvideo #traditionalmetal #speedmetal

German power metal act Freedom Call announced that drummer Ramy Ali has split with the band. The announcement reads: "Hey Callers, ...maybe it's not a big surprise, but unfortunately we have to announce, that our fellow, band mate and drummer Ramy Ali left the band. We spent such an amazing time together, we were traveling around the world to play unforgettable shows together. We wish him and his new family from the heart all the best and lots of fantastic moments as person a

Flotsam & Jetsam just kicked off the North American tour in support of HammerFall this week, and today released a new lyric video for "Monkey Wrench." The song appears on the band's latest album "Flotsam & Jetsam," which was issued back in 2016 via AFM Records. A new album is due to be released via AFM Records later this year. Check out the clip above and the confirmed live dates here: 5/18 Winter Park, FL – The Haven * 5/19 Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade * 5/20 Ralei

Epica played their first set ever on stage at the Poppodium 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands on the 15th of December 2002... Since then, the band's dedication to their craft and formidable work effort have paid off, as they have had the chance to tour all corners of the globe, amassing a worldwide fan base. So, it is only fitting that the milestone that is their 1000th show brings them full circle to where it all began, in Tilburg. To make the celebration even larger-than-life

Monster rockers Lordi released a video clip for the new single "Naked In My Cellar," which is available in the player above. The song is the second track lifted from the upcoming new album"Sexorcism," which drops on May 25th via AFM Records. Pre-order the album at this location. "Sexorcism" is quite possibly the band's most controversial record to date, which represents a full on and uncensored shot of Lordi's brand of hard rock and roll. The track listing and artwork can be

Ross The Boss - former guitarist for Manowar - released a lyric video for the song "Devil's Day." The song is taken from the latest album "By Blood Sworn," which was issued back in late April via AFM Records. The album is available at this location. Check out the clip in the player above. #RossTheBoss #traditionalmetal #heavymetal #powermetal #AFMRecords #lyricvideo

Armored Dawn has been cutting its teeth in the streets of São Paulo since 2011, churning out a solid debut EP and debut full length, both entitled "Power of Warrior" in 2016. The album garnered the band big attention in South America, scoring performances along side high powered acts like Megadeth, Symphony X, Rhapsody and Sabaton. The band certainly got the attention of AFM Records, which they signed to and released the highly touted new album "Barbarians in Black" back in F

Highly acclaimed guitarist Gus G. (Firewind) release his new solo album “Fearless” today (April 20th) via AFM Records. To celebrate, he issued a video clip for the album's title track, which is available in the player above. Grab your copy of the album over here. “Fearless” is the successor to 2015’s “Brand New Revolution” and marks the Firewind mastermind’s first release since exiting Ozzy Osbourne’s band in 2017. On “Fearless,” Gus joins forces with vocalist/bassist Dennis