While conventional thought sees communities as static entities, a newer method allows us to see them as they form through common rituals and symbolism, such as that transmitted through music. As a result, it’s possible to view international heavy metal as a community by choice in which people share values, behaviors and common linguistic tokens. Read the full paper here.

MANOWAR’s new studio album, The Lord Of Steel, will first be released worldwide on June 16, 2012 exclusively on iTunes and on the band’s own online store, The Kingdom Of Steel.

On the same date, Metal Hammer UK will release a special ‘Steel Edition’ of Metal Hammer #233, including the CD and a digital copy of the album.

The Lord Of Steel is blazing with pure power, untamed energy, and a sound as raw and wild as a force of nature. Track titles like Annihilation and Hail, Kill And Die! set the tone for a record that is packed with surprises.

In contrast to the 2007 release Gods Of War, this new album is not a concept album, yet each song tells a different story, retaining the MANOWAR vision of righteousness, honor and everything MANOWAR fans have come to know and love.

MANOWAR fans should expect to have “their heads completely blown off” said MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio in a recent interview, and explained that “…this album is all about brutality and raw power!”

Known for their adventurous spirit and for never releasing the same style of album twice in a row, MANOWAR have this time tapped into the world of action heroes and their stories, writing their first song specifically for a Hollywood movie, EL GRINGO and another one, Expendable, inspired by Sylvester Stallone’s action movie franchise ‘The Expendables’.

The band recently announced that El Gringo will be the theme song of the action western EL GRINGO, featuring Scott Adkins (‘Expendables 2’, ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’) and Christian Slater and produced by After Dark Films (‘An American Haunting’) and Joel Silver’s (‘Matrix’, ‘Lethal Weapon’) Dark Castle Home Entertainment.

“We were talking about a concept album but then got inspired to go in a different direction. This is where we are right now,” explained Joey DeMaio. “I’ve been doing research on getting the best microphones and pre-amps for the guitars. The bass sound is death defying. We’ve done a lot of work on drums too, giving Donnie room to stretch out. And Eric will simply sound bigger than life as always.”

The album will be mixed and mastered at the legendary Wisseloord Studios by long-time collaborators mixing engineer Ronald Prent and two-time Grammy award-winning mastering engineer Darcy Proper.

Upcoming MANOWAR headlining tour dates:

Sat, June 16, 2012 – Ost Fest – Bucharest, Romania
Thu, June 21, 2012 – Gods Of Metal – Milan, Italy
Fri, July 6, 2012 – Getaway Rock Festival – Gävle, Sweden
Mon, July 9, 2012 – Dortmunder Music Week Festival – Dortmund, Germany

More info:
www.manowar.com
www.facebook.com/manowar
www.magiccirclemusic.com

Update on Jeff Hanneman of Slayer, who has been out of condition with a necrotic spider bite:

Jeff was bitten by a spider more than a year ago, but what you may not have known was that for a couple of days after he went to the ER, things were touch-and-go. There was talk that he might have to have his arm amputated, and we didn’t know if he was going to pull through at all. He was in a medically-induced coma for a few days and had several operations to remove the dead and dying tissue from his arm.

So, understand, he was in really, really bad shape.

It’s been about a year since he got out of the hospital, and since then, he had to learn to walk again, he’s had several painful skin grafts, he’s been in rehab doing exercises to regain the strength in his arm; but best of all, he’s been playing guitar. We were all excited when he joined us onstage for the encore a year ago at The Big Four show at Coachella. Since then, we’ve given him all the time and support he’s needed to continue his rehab so he can come back to the band fully recovered and able to deliver the kind of shows we all want him to.

While Jeff’s been doing some writing and has been coming to rehearsal over the past several weeks, he has decided he needs to take more time to continue his rehab. While we want him back onstage with the band, all of us support his decision. So, we’re very grateful that Gary Holt will continue to fill in for Jeff, and will tour with us until Jeff completes his rehab and is ready to return. How long will that be? The best and most honest answer we can give you is ‘as long as it takes.’

We also wanted you to know that we’ve been doing some writing and recording for the next Slayer album – we’ve tracked a few songs, and will finish the album when we’re off the road later this year. Gary will join us on tour in Europe and the UK in May and June, and then we’ll all see you on this Summer’s Mayhem Festival. – Slayer

Keep him in your thoughts and blasphemic imprecations of desolate transcendence.

1. Jess and the Ancient Ones – Sulfur Giants
   
2. Imprecation – As Blasphemy Reigns/Vomit Flood of Christian Remnants
   
3. Demoncy – The Arcane Aristocracy
   
4. Divine Eve – The Ravages of Heathen Men
   
5. Beherit – Demon Advance
   
6. Neptune Towers – The Arrival At Empire Algol
   
7. Cianide – Human Cesspool
   
8. Ceremonium – Serenity
   
9. Prong – Carved into Stone
   
10. Goatcraft – Culling in D minor
    
11. Sarcofago – Crush, Kill, Destroy
    

Northern Traditions is a yearly publication, of which this is the second volume. Contributions of articles, artwork, translations and poetry are now open.

Topics include, but are not limited to: indigenous Traditions of Northern Euope, Celtic, Norse, Teutonic, history, geography, mythology, culture, literature, linguistics – the range of topics and possibilities are immense.

Numen Books needs people to submit articles for this legendary series.

• Currently accepting submissions

Recorded back in the hazy 1990s, The Dying Truth is a morbid sort of grindcore-influenced death metal that takes a death-doom pace with an eclectic but primitive approach to riffs.

The re-issue of this death/doom classic from 1992 with its original intended track order and “Funeral” (Demo 1990) and “Second Life” (Demo 1991) tracks as bonus.

Release date: May 18th.

CD $7.50
T-shirt $12.75
Combo $18.75

• Cianide – The Dying Truth re-issue pre-order

Neptune Towers’ rare 1994 debut of Ambient Soundscapes available on Peaceville for the first time.

Bleak and evocatively atmospheric, Neptune Towers was the brainchild of Darkthrone’s Fenriz.

The music takes its inspiration from the likes of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Kraftwerk.

This edition of Caravans To Empire Algol contains liner notes by Fenriz.

Pre-order now for 11th June 2012 release date.

1. Caravans To Empire Algol (24:32)
2. The Arrival At Empire Algol (12:37)

Glad to see this classic ride again. It’s like a darkwave version of Tangerine Dream, deep cosmic music that came out at a time when all black metal bands were experimenting with ambient. This is better than most however.

• Neptune Towers – Caravans to Empire Algol Preorder (£8.99 GBP)

DJ Cherrysthorne brings you the Dark End metal show and The Metal Trip show every week at the following times:

• The DarkEnd Metal Show ( Tuesdays 7-9pm EST)
  Thrash, speed, power, doom, black thrash and all kinds of 80’s metal
• The Metal Trip Show ( Mondays 10-Midnight EST)
  Atmospheric ambient metal, progressive rock and metal, and very dark doom.

Listen to Core of Destruction radio via javascript or winamp MP3 stream.

If you want your band or advertisement on the show, mail to:

CherrysThorne
501 Omar Drive
Killeen, TX 76542
cherrysthorne -at- gmail.com

SARCOFAGO’S Decade Of Decay was initially released in 1995, and official copies of it are virtually impossible to find anywhere… until now. Bearing a total of 20 tracks spawned over the band’s career, this reissue of the compilation album weighs in with over an hour and twelve minutes of blasting SARCOFAGO mayhem and debauchery, and even includes three songs from the Satanic Lust demo, two songs from The Black Vomit demo and two songs from the Christ’s Death demo. This represents the first time that SARCOFAGO demo material is available officially. The entire reissue process for this compilation album has been overseen by SARCOFAGO’s Wagner “Antichrist” Lamounier himself!

The first release in a series of SARCOFAGO albums set for official reissue through 2012 and beyond, the first stateside release of Decade Of Decay will take place in North America on June 5th as a 6-panel/full color digipak CD imported directly from Brazil, featuring a full-color fold-out poster with information on all of the songs included. The packaging features never-before-seen photos from SARCOFAGO throughout their various stages, going from INRI all the way to the Hate album. An ultra-limited deluxe 2xLP edition is to be released later in the Summer with details to be confirmed shortly.

Decade of Decay Track Listing:
1. The Lost Of Innocence
2. Orgy Of Flies
3. Hate
4. The God’s Faeces
5. Song For My Death
6. Midnight Queen
7. Screeches From The Silence
8. Piercings
9. Crush, Kill, Destroy
10. Nightmare
11. Rotting
12. I.N.R.I.
13. Desecration Of Virgin
14. Recrucify
15. The Black Vomit
16. Satanic Lust
17. Christ’s Death
18. The Anal Rape of God
19. Satanas
20. Third Slaughter

Florida-based Greyhaze Records is now the official North American distributor for Brazilian label Cogumelo Records. Cogumelo is well-respected throughout the extreme metal world, having been founded over thirty years ago, and having released a steady arsenal of quality death, thrash and grind from acts including Sarcófago, Mutilator, Holocausto, Sextrash, Impurity, Chakal, Psychic Possessor, Ratos de Porão, Vulcano, Headhunter DC, Drowned, Defacer, Calvary Death and more. Cogumelo was responsible for the initial release of the Sepultura’s seminal first three albums — Bestial Devastation, Morbid Visions and Schizophrenia — now exclusively under license to Roadrunner Records.

http://www.greyhazerecords.com
http://www.facebook.com/greyhazerecords
http://www.cogumelo.com

• Sarcofago – Decade of Decay Digipak CD $15