'One Assassination Under God - Chapter 2' the 13th album by Marilyn Manson featuring the single 'Exit Wound' and released via Nuclear Blast Records.

TRACK LISTING

1. Unalive
2. Don't Answer The Door 
3. Front Toward Enemy 
4. All The Vilest Things 
5. None of the Suns 
6. Lucifer's Teardrop 
7. The Arsonist 
8. Exit Wound 
9. Enantiomorph

After four decades of aggressive, crushing, genre-shaping metal, 15 studio albums, and 14 gold records, SEPULTURA remains one of the most impactful bands in heavy music—Brazil’s relentless force on the global stage. Having stormed 80 countries and sold over 20 million worldwide, The Cloud of Unknowing EP channels their ferocity, intensity, and unyielding identity as the final leg of their farewell tour ignites.

TRACK LISTING

1. All Souls Rising
2. Beyond The Dream
3. Sacred Books
4. The Place

Ever since their inception, up and coming German outfit OCEANS have dropped jaws everywhere they went. With an unique sound ranging somewhere between nu-metal, progressive, post and death metal and putting mental health on top of their agenda, the four piece became a known constant in today’s metal universe quickly. Innovation and to experiment with different sounds and genres and even other artists’ work (covering Alessia Cara’s “Scars To Your Beautiful” may not be your average metal band’s idea) and collaborations with prominent musicians (MACHINE HEAD’s Robb Flynn or CALIBAN’s Andy Dörner can be heard on OCEANS’ latest EP “We Are Not Okay”) are high up on the band’s agenda which makes OCEANS one of a kind and even a pioneer in their own kind of genre. Having released two EPs in 2019, their debut album in 2020 and another EP in 2021, the band featuring visionary mastermind Timo Rotten can easily be described as one of Europe’s hardest and also fastest working bands in the genre. Enter 2022, great and out of the ordinary things can be expected from OCEANS once again.

One can’t overstate the size of the Fear Factory boot print on the neck of heavy metal. Unleashing influential albums with devastating anthems for over 30 years, Fear Factory is widely recognized as both crucial and innovative in extreme metal circles. Fear Factory manufactured, demanufactured, and remanufactured a sound that reverberates across several subgenres. They perfected an explosive blend of staccato paint-stripping riffs, industrial-tinged drums, electronic flourishes, and a scream/sing dichotomy, all of which became staples in heavy music, ever since the group first emerged in L.A.

Fear Factory headline major festivals; earned several awards from the international sales charts; toured with Black Sabbath, Slayer, Iron Maiden, and Metallica; and influenced generations of bands. But it’s the group’s commitment to unrelenting extremity and creative authenticity which ensured its place in heavy metal history, from the highly-revered Demanufacture to the similarly dominating Genexus. Songs like “Zero Signal,” “Shock,” and “Fear Campaign” are instantly recognizable anthems, as much a part of the musical DNA of modern metal subculture as the riffs and scream/sing style within them.

Fear Factory records are cinematic in scope; sonic landscapes, echoing the dystopian post-apocalyptic futures found in classic sci-fi literature and films, from Ray Bradbury to Blade Runner. Recoded provides reimagined versions of songs from their tenth studio offering, Aggression Continuum. Much like their previously successful crossover release Remanufacture, Recoded takes a moment to focus on the band’s industrial and dark wave side, along with their metal roots. Whatever may come, Fear Factory will be there, a soundtrack to humankind’s uncertain times ahead.

TRACK LISTING

CD Tracklisting:
1. Adapt Or Die – Intro Narrative By Jake Stern, Sound FX By Zardonic
2. Hatred Will Prevail – ‘Monolith’ Remix By Rhys Fulber
3. Disobey – ‘Disruptor’ Remix By Zardonic
4. I Am The Nightrider – ‘Fuel Injected Suicide Machine’ Remix By Dualized/Zardonic
5. Path To Salvation – ‘Purity’ Remix By Rhys Fulber
6. Worthless – ‘End Of Line’ Remix By Zardonic
7. Empires Fall – ‘Collapse’ Remix By Tyrants Of Death
8. System Assassin – ‘Aggression Continuum’ Remix By Rhys Fulber
9. Hypocrisy Of Faith – ‘Manufactured Hope’ Remix By Rob Gee
10. This Is My Life – ‘Cognitive Dissonance’ Remix By Zardonic
11. Recoded – ‘Recode’ Remix By Blush Response

LP Tracklisting
Side A:
1.Adapt Or Die – Intro Narrative By Jake Stern, Sound FX By Zardonic
2.Hatred Will Prevail – ‘Monolith’ Remix By Rhys Fulber
3.Disobey – ‘Disruptor’ Remix By Zardonic
4.I Am The Nightrider – ‘Fuel Injected Suicide Machine’ Remix By Dualized/Zardonic
Side B:
1.Path To Salvation – ‘Purity’ Remix By Rhys Fulber
2.Worthless – ‘End Of Line’ Remix By Zardonic
3.Empires Fall – ‘Collapse’ Remix By Tyrants Of Death/
Side C:
1.System Assassin – ‘Aggression Continuum’ Remix By Rhys Fulber
2.Hypocrisy Of Faith – ‘Manufactured Hope’ Remix By Rob Gee
3.This Is My Life – ‘Cognitive Dissonance’ Remix By Zardonic
Side D:
1.Recoded – ‘Recode’ Remix By Blush Response
2.Turbo Factory – ‘End Of Line’ Remix By Turboslash
3.Break Off – ‘Disruptor’ Remix By Rhys Fulber.

Pounding riffs weighing several tons? Check! Catchy choruses and symphonic flashes? Check! Relentless eruptions of utterly chaotic, yet catchy modern metal? Check! Passionate performances by elaborate musicians? Check!

You got it right: over the last twelve adrenaline-filled years, braindead™ Finnish cannonball squad LOST SOCIETY has been fearlessly exploring the lights and shadows of the world of heavy metal. Still, despite the dirty deeds of the past years and the praise of legendary colleagues such as Kreator's Mille Petrozza and Sepultura's Andreas Kisser, it now feels like the band's rocket is just about to take off.

Enter 2022. The epochs of darkness have just been left behind...

LOST SOCIETY – featuring guitarist Arttu Lesonen, bassist Mirko Lehtinen and drummer Taz Fagerström as well – is about to unleash the most ambitious, versatile and innovative record of their career. Well, so far.

If The Sky Came Down is a bona fide example of what may happen when utterly talented musicians recognize the magnificent feeling: we are capable of reaching the heavy metal skies.

The definitive nail in the coffin is the record's spectacular closer Suffocating. There are cold shivers down the listener's spine as Samy Elbanna spits fragile but powerful lines such as "only death can heal me" and "the air is pure but I'm suffocating".

The lyrics may sometimes be secondary in the mystical realms of rock 'n' roll, but If The Sky Came Down heads out to another highway – and certainly not just within the unique serenity of aforementioned Suffocating.

And now the rockets are about to be launched again... What does the future look like?

Across their career Lamb Of God grew from basement shows and grimy DIY venues to headline arenas. The New Wave of American Heavy Metal architects earned a reverence akin to musical forefathers (and road companions) Metallica, Slayer, and Megadeth. "For millions of headbangers, Lamb Of God are simply the most important contemporary metal band in the world," Guitar World observed. Timeless songs like "Laid to Rest," "Redneck," "Walk with Me in Hell," and "Now You've Got Something to Die For" became anthems in the heavy metal songbook, with gargantuan vocals born from both righteous anger and devotion, and unrivaled riffs for the ages.

Now, the Grammy-nominated goliath follows 2020's self-titled slab with a vicious new testament. Riding high on an insatiable drive, a focused collective camaraderie, and a creative renaissance saluted by the likes of Rolling Stone and NME, Lamb Of God returned to longtime producer Josh Wilbur (Megadeth, Korn, Avenged Sevenfold) and carved the gloriously unhinged Omens into sonic stone.

Even as D. Randall Blythe (vocals), Mark Morton (lead guitar), Willie Adler (guitar), John Campbell (bass), and Art Cruz (drums) enjoy one another's company and chemistry like never before, Omens is possibly the angriest Lamb Of God album yet. Densely muscular, soaked in unnerving spite, with a pessimistic eye toward inner struggles and global affairs alike, Omens is a furious entry in the catalog.

Most of the album was recorded live in the studio, including Blythe's vibrantly unhinged vocal attack. Morton and Adler's riffs threaten, challenge, and devastate. Cruz and Campbell's unstoppable rhythms lurch and beckon. Having shined on 2020’s Lamb Of God, Cruz injects even more nuance and personality into his playing across Omens’ songs.

It's a potent, palpable energy Lamb Of God first tapped when they shoved heavy metal into the new millennium with New American Gospel (2000). As the Palaces Burn (2003) joined Rolling Stone's Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of All Time. Ashes of the Wake (2004) was the first Lamb Of Gold album certified gold by the RIAA, a feat once all but impossible for a contemporary extreme metal band.

Sacrament (2006), Revolver's Album of the Year, went gold as well. The raw and organic malice of Wrath (2009) began the band's enduring relationship with Wilbur. Both the diverse Resolution (2012) and the explosive VII: Sturm und Drang (2015) debuted in the Top 5 of the Billboard 200.

The 2020 self-titled set, their first new material in five years, added instant classics "Memento Mori" and "Resurrection Man" to the repertoire, alongside eight more monster tracks. Revolver, Metal Hammer, Loudwire, and Consequence included Lamb Of God on their year-end Best Albums lists. The momentum continues with Omens, arguably the band's most aggressive and ambitious yet.

The hardcore fire at the heart of Lamb Of God still burns as hot as the 12-foot flames blazing the stages on their co-headlining trek with Megadeth, appropriately called "The Metal Tour of the Year." Even as the state of the world descends, the state of the union for Lamb Of God remains strong.

There’s an ancient Japanese legend in which a horde of demons, ghosts and other terrifying ghouls descend upon the sleeping villages once a year. Known as Hyakki Yagyō, or the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons, one version of the tale states that anyone who witnesses this otherworldly procession will die instantly—or be carried off by the creatures of the night. As a result, the villagers hide in their homes, lest they become victims of these supernatural invaders.

Such is the inspiration for the latest album from EARTHLESS. “My son is really into mythical creatures and old folk stories about monsters and ghosts,” bassist Mike Eginton explains. “We came across the ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’ in a book of traditional Japanese ghost stories. I like the idea of people hiding and being able to hear the madness but not see it. It’s the fear of the unknown.”

Whereas 2018’s Black Heaven featured shorter songs and vocals from guitarist Isaiah Mitchell on much of the album—an unprecedented move for the San Diego power trio—their latest is a return to the epic instrumentals EARTHLESS made their unmistakable name on. Night Parade Of One Hundred Demons is comprised of two monster songs—the 41-minute, two-part title track and the 20-minute “Death To The Red Sun.”

The scenario that allowed for this kind of exploration was a stark contrast to that of Black Heaven. At that point, Mitchell was living in the Bay Area, which made it difficult for the band to get together and work on the type of long instrumental pieces they’re known for. But in March 2020, the guitarist moved back to San Diego. More specifically, he moved back the night the pandemic lockdown kicked in. Bad timing, perhaps—or maybe perfect timing.

Plus, they were all on the same page about not wanting to do another record with vocals. “In a way, I think this album was a reaction to our last record,” Eginton says. “Black Heaven was outside our comfort zone. I think it was a good record, but it was challenging to write songs in a more traditional verse-chorus-verse format. This one was more enjoyable. I’m sure we’ll do more vocal tracks in the future, but for the time being I see that album as a one-off.”

Given the record’s inspiration, it should come as no surprise that Night Parade of One Hundred Demons strikes a more sinister tone than the rest of the band’s catalogue. “It definitely has a darker, almost evil kind of vibe compared to stuff we’ve done in the past,” Rubalcaba says. “There’s more paranoia and noise, and some of Isaiah’s whammy-bar stuff kind of reminds me of these Jeff Hanneman moments in Reign In Blood, where it just seems like everything is going to hell. It’s pretty fun.”

Night Parade of One Hundred Demons was recorded in San Diego with Rubalcaba’s childhood friend Ben Moore, who’s worked with everyone from DIAMANDA GALAS and BURT BACHARACH to CEREMONY and HOT SNAKES. When Eginton wasn’t tracking his bass parts, he worked on the album’s incredible sleeve art. “He really dedicated himself to the project,” Rubalcaba says. “He’d be drawing in the studio with, like, a coal-miner’s lamp on his head while we were doing overdubs. He really knocked it out of the park.”

All told, Night Parade of One Hundred Demons isn’t just a return to the band’s traditional format—it’s a return to their very beginnings. “This album actually has the very first Earthless riff in it,” Eginton reveals. “We just recorded it 20 years after we wrote it. But we’re really happy with how this record came out. We feel it might be our finest to date.” 

After enduring a year like 2020, no one could have possibly expected Al Jourgensen to stay silent on the maelstrom of the past 12 months. As the mastermind behind pioneering industrial outfit Ministry, Jourgensen has spent the last four decades using music as a megaphone to rally listeners to the fight for equal rights, restoring American liberties, exposing exploitation and putting crooked politicians in their rightful place—set to a background of aggressive riffs, searing vocals and manipulated sounds to drive it home.

As Jourgensen watched the chaos that befell the world during the height of a global pandemic and the tensions rising from one of the most important elections in American history, he seized on the opportunity to write, spending quarantine holed up in his self-built home studio—Scheisse Dog Studio— along with engineer Michael Rozon and girlfriend Liz Walton to create Ministry’s latest masterpiece, Moral Hygiene (out October 1 on Nuclear Blast Records). Anchored by last year’s leadoff track “Alert Level”—which asks listeners to internalize the question “How concerned are you?”—the 10 songs on this upcoming 15th studio album cover the breadth of the current dilemmas facing humanity, while ruminating on the sizable impact of COVID-19, the inevitable effects of climate change, consequences of misinformed conspiracies and the stakes in the fight for racial equality. And most importantly doing so with the lens of what we as a society are going to do about it all.

Moral Hygiene comes on the heels of Ministry’s acclaimed 2018 album AmeriKKKant (hailed by Loudwire as Jourgensen’s own “state of the union” address) that was written as a reaction to Donald J. Trump being elected president—though Jourgensen says this new album is more informational and reflective in tone. “With AmeriKKKant I was in shock that Trump won. I didn’t know what to do, but I knew I had to do something. Because I believe if you are a musician or an artist you should be expressing what’s going on around you through your art. It’s going to happen whether you do it consciously or unconsciously. Moral Hygiene however has progressed even further into a cautionary tale of what will happen if we don’t act. There’s less rage, but there’s more reflection and I bring in some guests to help cement that narrative.”

In addition to recruiting long-time cohort Jello Biafra (Jourgensen’s partner in the side project Lard) for the quirky earworm “Sabotage Is Sex,” other guest appearances include guitarist Billy Morrison (Billy Idol/Royal Machines) on a rendition of The Stooges hit “Search & Destroy.”

Another standout track is “Believe Me,” featuring a throwback vocal style from Jourgensen that harkens back to his singing on Twitch and cult classic “(Every Day Is) Halloween.” The song came out of a jam session with Morrison, Cesar Soto and sampling from Liz Walton, and reminded Jourgensen of his formative days at Chicago Trax Studios where communal ideas were constantly informing early Ministry records. “’Believe Me’ had such an old school vibe I wanted to bring back old school vocals. …It’s funny how things come back to you,” says Jourgensen, also reflecting on Ministry turning 40 in 2021.

With the release of Moral Hygiene, Jourgensen is more positive than before. “This may sound crazy but I’m more hopeful about 2021 than I have been in two decades at least,” he says. “Because I do see things changing; people are starting to see through all the bullshit and want to get back to actual decorum in society. We could just treat each other nicely and be treated nicely in return. I never thought Ministry would be in the position of preaching traditional values, but this is the rebellion now.” 

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: I remember hearing the first few bars of N.W.O from the stunning '????????' all those years ago, and being genuinely gobsmacked that a band could be that heavy. Fast forward some 20 years or so, and they continue their electronic / industrial metal tirade with their FIFTEENTH studio album, encompassing all of the elements that made their sound so unique, but with a whole new subject matter.

TRACK LISTING

CD Track Listing:
1.Alert Level
2.Good Trouble
3.Sabotage Is Sex
4.Disinformation
5.Search And Destroy
6.Believe Me
7.Broken System
8.We Shall Resist
9.Death Toll
10.TV Song No 6 (Right Around The Corner)

LP Track Listing:
Side A:
1.Alert Level
2.Good Trouble
3.Sabotage Is Sex
4.Disinformation
Side B:
1.Search And Destroy
2.Believe Me
3.Broken System
4.We Shall Resist

New York hardcore legends Agnostic Front have outlived contemporaries such as Minor Threat, SS Decontrol, Black Flag and are, on this evidence, still capable of producing a very mean noise. It's all here; the trademark sledgehammer rhythms, chainsaw guitar hooks and street anthem choruses. Produced by Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta, and featuring Terror's Scott Vogel and Karl Bleuchner of Earth Crisis.