Amon Amarth recently revealed the trailer for their forthcoming mini documentary (above). Fittingly titled Forging Mjölnir, the short film will appear as a three-part series with each official segment slated to premiere via the band’s microsite (unfortunately, you have to join and register). The trailer shows band members as they talk about their earliest musical influences.

Check out Deceiver of the Gods’ opening title track:

Amon Amarth on tour

Following a run of European festival dates next month, Amon Amarth will be opening the main stage of this year’s edition of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest set to commence June 29 in San Bernardino. See confirmed dates below.

Amon Amarth Summer 2013 European Festival Tour:

6/01/2013 Forta Rock Festival – Nijmegen, NL
6/06/2013 Sweden Rock Festival – Solvesborg, SE
6/07/2013 Rock Am Ring – Nurburgring, DE
6/08/2013 Sonisphere – Sonisphere, FR
6/09/2013 Rock Im Park – Nurenberg, DE
6/11/2013 MeetFactory – Prauge, CZ
6/12/2013 Eter Club – Wroclaw, PL
6/14/2013 Copenhell – Copenhagen, DK
6/15/2013 Noval Rock – Nickelsdorf, AT
6/16/2013 Download Festival – Donington, UK
6/21/2013 Nummirock – Nummijarvi, FI

Amon Amarth Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Fest 2013

6/29/2013 San Manuel Amphitheater – San Bernardino, CA
6/30/2013 Shoreline Amphitheatre – Mountain View, CA
7/02/2013 Idaho Center Amphitheatre – Nampa, ID
7/03/2013 White River Amphitheatre – Auburn, WA
7/05/2013 Desert Sky Pavilion – Phoenix, AZ
7/06/2013 Isleta Amphitheatre – Albuquerque, NM
7/07/2013 Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre – Englewood, CO
7/09/2013 The Intersection – Grand Rapids, MI w/ Children of Bodom, Job for a Cowboy, Battlecross, Huntress
7/10/2013 Molson Canadian Amphitheatre – Toronto, ON
7/12/2013 First Niagara Pavilion – Burgettstown, PA
7/13/2013 Toyota Pavilion – Scranton, PA
7/14/2013 Darien Lake Performing Arts Center – Darien Center, NY
7/16/2013 Comcast Center – Mansfield, MA
7/17/2013 Bangor Waterfront – Bangor, ME
7/19/2013 Susquehanna Bank Center – Camden, NJ
7/20/2013 Saratoga Performing Arts Center – Saratoga Springs, NY
7/21/2013 The Comcast Theatre – Hartford, CT
7/23/2013 PNC Bank Arts Center – Holmdel, NJ
7/24/2013 Jiffy Lube Live – Bristow, VA
7/26/2013 Klipsch Music Center – Noblesville, IN
7/27/2013 First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre – Tinley Park, IL
7/28/2013 DTE Energy Music Theatre – Clarkston, MI
7/29/2013 Expo Five – Louisville, KY w/ Children of Bodom, Behemoth, Emmure, Motionless In White, Born of Osiris, Job for a Cowboy, Battlecross, Huntress
7/30/2013 Lakewood Amphitheatre – Atlanta, GA
7/31/2013 Live Nation Amphitheatre – Tampa, FL
8/02/2013 Austin 360 Amphitheatre – Austin, TX
8/03/2013 Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion – The Woodlands, TX
8/04/2013 Gexa Energy Pavilion – Dallas, TX
8/05/2013 Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre – Kansas City, MO w/ Rob Zombie, Machine Head, Children Of Bodom
8/07/2013 Pop’s – Sauget, IL w/ Children of Bodom, Battlecross, Huntress
8/08/2013 Marathon Music Works – Nashville, TN w/ Children of Bodom, Battlecross, Huntress
8/09/2013 Peabody’s – Cleveland, OH w/ Children of Bodom, Battlecross, Huntress
8/11/2013 Heavy MTL Festival – Montreal, QC

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Skull is available to pre-order now in a range of great formats, with something for everybody. But hurry – some of these options are only available in strictly limited quantities, and once they’re gone, they’re gone!

- Regular jewel case CD
- Jewel case CD signed by band (100 copies)
- Red (100 copies – SOLD OUT), White (200 copies), Purple (300 copies) or Black (400 copies) vinyl LP
- Black vinyl LP signed by the band (150 copies)
- Album cover t-shirt
- Album cover hoodie
- Album cover girlie/tank top
- CD & t-shirt/hoodie/girlie pack
- Black LP & t-shirt/hoodie/girlie pack
- Your name in the album credits & a CD or Black vinyl LP

All Skull album pre-orders from the Earache Webstore also come with an exclusive bonus CD featuring two extra tracks, unavailable anywhere else! Pre-order your copy of Skull now from the Earache Webstore while stocks last:

Europe
North America

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Affected by the original Evil Dead (1981) at a young age, vocalist Trevor Strnad was destined to write a song about it. Of course, the circumstance of the pivotal moment in his life seems to have been designed for this:

“I remember the first time I saw Evil Dead… it was at my friend’s birthday party in 7th grade. It was recommended by the same older sister that had gotten us all into punk and heavy metal music… so we knew we were in for the real deal. The movie scared the unholy 13-year-old shit out of us… we were terrified. I remember the possessions really affecting me… the way the people would contort and writhe was disturbing. The possessed had that awful way that they sounded when they spoke and howled… pretty insane as well. The vine rape scene was intense… I love the idea of the forest coming alive… so much so that I wrote a song about it many years later.”

Am I right? Friend’s hot older sister, heavy metal, and horror – perfect ’80s experience.

Check out the track (above) and follow along with the lyrics:

“Raped in Hatred by Vines of Thorn” – Lyrics:

“Dense dark forest dismal fog a spectral force perverts these woods flight prevails frantic escape the unearthly horrors at each turn they wait wandering roots they creak and move slithering toward what mortal life intrudes terrified eyes opened wide ensnare her flailing limbs to the earth they are tightly tied raped in hatred by vines of thorn by the evil dead to ribbons ripped and torn raped in hatred by vines of thorn pierced from within her child is skewered unborn raped in hatred by vines of thorn twisted in halves in this gruesome tug-of-war raped in hatred by vines of thorn flora possessed suckling the gore untamed kudzu green cocoon inside her flesh their food death prevails gnarled roots entwine syphon the marrows from her splintered spine animate trees shuffle their roots gathering around this late night rendezvous murderous orgy in full bloom her screams they cut the fog this night on sheer terror the seedlings thrive raped in hatred by vines of thorn behold the wrath of the necromicon raped in hatred by vines of thorn lancing her womb the child inside is gorged raped in hatred by vines of thorn broken in two entwined within the growth raped in hatred by vines of thorn necrotized demonic spores you brought this all unto yourselves should not have tampered with this hell opening the book your last mistake these haunted woods shall be thine grave raped in hatred by vines of thorn by the evil dead to ribbons ripped and torn raped in hatred by vines of thorn pierced from within her child is skewered unborn raped in hatred by vines of thorn twisted in halves in this gruesome tug-of-war raped in hatred by vines of thorn flora possessed suckling the gore”

Find out when and where The Black Dahlia Murder will be playing on tour.

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The Boonstock Music & Arts Festival 2013 will enter into its 9th year on June 27-30, 2013. The festival, hosted in Sturgeon County, has rapidly grown into the largest music festival of its kind in Western Canada and one of the best in Canada. With over 40 bands and 40 DJs entertaining 65,000 fans throughout the weekend, it makes for an amazing Canada Day long weekend. What better way than to spend it with Incura too!

If you haven’t already, check out Incura’s self-titled debut album. If you like it, order it at Amazon for $8.99.

Incura tour dates:

06.28 Vancouver, BC @ Kush Cup
06.29 Gibbons, AB @ Boonstock Music Festival

You can stream the track over at newnoisemagazine.com. And don’t forget to check out the unforgettable “Embrace the Stone” above.

Desperate Souls of Tortured Times will be available on May 28th in North America.

More about Age of Taurus:

Formed in 2009 by vocalist/guitarist Toby Wright, Age of Taurus was initially a one-man doom metal mission. Inspired by masters of the craft like Candlemass, Trouble and Revelation, the project was intended more as a studio affair rather than something more alive. However, after increasing interest in the band and a succession of glowing reviews of debut demo ‘In the Days of the Taurean Empire’, Toby decided that there was no turning back and duly put together a fully working line up; enter bassist Richard Bruce, lead guitarist Alastair Riddell and drummer Darius Claydon.

The band quickly began writing together and started to develop and define a sound that suited their combined musical direction. With their feet still firmly planted in the doom metal field, the group were able to explore other paths of influence, particularly bass-driven seventies hard rock and the oh-so-punishing twin guitar attacks that ruled the speakers during NWOBHM’s golden years.

Produced by Jaime Gomez Arellano (Angel Witch, Hexvessel, Ghost), Desperate Souls of Tortured Times is a 42 minute collection of material written during their transition over the past three years. It’s an unashamedly heavy voyage down a road less travelled, where each of the seven songs acts as a chapter from an altogether longer tale. Monstrous, mountain-shaking riffs are order of the day in the Empire, stepping aside only for Riddell’s searing leads to take hold, whilst the lock-tight Bruce/Claydon rhythm section underpins all. Heading the charge from centre stage, Wright’s lyrics act as a vivid narrative, painting pictures of ancient ritual and sprawling landscapes, somewhat reminiscent of Manilla Road and Brocas Helm in their prime. Some might assume that DSOTT is a concept album, however in reality, Age of Taurus is more like a ‘concept band’, intent on delivering undiluted and intriguing heavy metal to all that will listen.

So come one, come all and let your eyes and mind be open to a long-forgotten era; the Age of Taurus…

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hellfest site plan

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The latest to come to my attention is Orchid‘s The Mouths of Madness, which is streaming in its entirety over at CVLT Nation.

The Mouths of Madness went on sale May 14th, so streaming it now is the perfect thing to do if you’re unsure about purchasing it. I have a feeling once you hear it though, you’re gonna want this. You’ll for sure appreciate how masterfully this young band handles the classic doom genre; the album is full of monstrous riffs, haunting vocals, insane lyrics, and wicked hooks. The album was mastered by Richard Whittaker and vocals were tracked at engineer Will Storkson’s home studio.

The Mouths of Madness track listing:

01. Mouths of Madness
02. Marching Dogs of War
03. Silent One
04. Nomad
05. Mountains of Steel
06. Leaving It All Behind
07. Loving Hand of God
08. Wizard of War
09. See You on the Other Side

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tim lambesis

Obviously, Deputy District Attorney Claudia Grasso will likely argue for the bail amount to be maintained, but further details about the case could potentially be revealed as each side presents arguments.

Lambesis’ band, As I Lay Dying, were to tour with Killswitch Engage this summer, but in light of the current situation, that’s not gonna happen. In As I Lay Dying’s absence, KSE has announced that Official Darkest Hour and The Word Alive will join them on the Disarm the Descent 2013 US TOUR.

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photo by Kmeron | Baroness Hit The Road In North America

UPDATE (May 16th) – Baroness have added the following tour dates to those listed below:

New Yellow & Green tour dates:
August 5 Columbus, OH – A&R Music Bar
August 7 Rochester, NY – Club @ Walter Street
August 9 Toronto, ON – Mod Club
August 11 Boston, MA – Royale
August 13 Providence, RI – Met Café
August 14 New York, NY – Irving Plaza
August 17 Champaign, IL – The Highdive
August 18 Columbia, MO – Mojo’s
August 20 Colorado Springs, CO – Black Sheep
August 21 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater
August 23 Phoenix, AZ – Club Red
August 25 San Diego, CA – The Casbah
August 27 Tucson, AZ – The Rock
August 28 Las Vegas NV – Backstage Bar
August 30 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
September 2 Seattle, WA – Bumbershoot
September 4 Vancouver, BC – Venue

“It’s hard to find the words to express how excited we are to announce this tour,” explained guitar player Pete Adams. “Seven months ago, who knew when it would be or even if we could get back on the road. But here we are, picking right back up where we left off. A heartfelt thanks to everyone’s unconditional love and support for us through, let’s hope, the hardest time this band will ever see. We told you we’d be back, so let’s do this thing!”

“The hardest time this band will ever see” refers to Baroness’ bus plunging off a viaduct near Bath, England, which left band members and tour crew with a variety of severe injuries. Presumably, as a result of the accident, drummer Allen Blickle and bass player Matt Maggioni will not be touring with the band. Baizley has confirmed that the pair’s departure is “not sensational” and “do[es] not come with hard feelings.” Baizley went on to add that the band has already found two musicians, Nick Jost (bass) and Sebastian Thomson (drums), “who can approach our music with passion and vitality.”

Yellow & Green tour dates:

May 24 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer
May 25 Baltimore, MD – Ram’s Head Live
May 26 Norfolk, VA – Jewish Mother
May 28 Charleston, SC – The Music Farm
May 29 Atlanta, GA – Center Stage
May 31 Dallas, TX – Trees
June 1 Austin, TX – Chaos in Tejas (Mohawk)
June 2 Houston, TX – Free Press Summer Festival
June 4 Lawrence, KS – Granada Theatre
June 5 St. Louis, MO – The Firebird
June 8 Grand Rapids, MI – The Pyramid Scheme
June 9 Madison, WI – The Majestic Theatre
June 11 Indianapolis, IN – Deluxe @ Old National Centre
June 12 Cincinnati, OH – Taft Ballroom
June 14 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s
June 15 Huntington, WV – V Club
June 13-16 Manchester, TN – Bonnaroo (performance date to be announced soon)
August 10–11 Montreal, QC – Heavy MTL (performance date to be announced soon)

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While I find the video for this exceptional song incredibly boring, the band seems to be pretty happy about it:

“After the introspective ‘For Broken Words’ and the uptempo riffing of ‘The Science of Noise,’ it’s time to showcase the more anthemic aspects of the new album with the song ‘Uniformity.’ In contrast to the more experimental promo videos we made last year, we wanted the ‘Uniformity’ clip to be an intimate and genuine performance video. Nothing but the music itself and the band members playing in the rehearsal room. For this, we hired renowned director Patric Ullaeus, and we’re very happy to share the result with you. Stand up and be counted!”

If you’d like to check out more from Dark Tranquillity’s Construct, check out the following:

“For Broken Words”

“The Science Of Noise”

Dark Tranquillity Construct track-listing:

1. For Broken Words
2. The Science Of Noise
3. Uniformity
4. The Silence In Between
5. Apathetic
6. What Only You Know
7. Endtime Hearts
8. State Of Trust
9. Weight Of The End
10. None Becoming
11. Immemorial
12. Photon Dreams

Dark Tranquillity live:

6.1.2013–Germany, Geiselwind–Beastival Festival
6.7.2013–United Arab Emirates, Dubai–Rock Fest
6.28.2013–Czech Republic, Spalene Porici–Basinfire Festival
7.11.2013–Germany, Neukirchen Vluyn–Dong Open Air
7.12.2013–Germany, Ballenstedt–RockHarz Festival
8.23.2013–Germany, Wörrstedt–Neuborn Open Air
1.27.2014–USA, Miami–70000 Tons Of Metal

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