LEGIONS OF DOOM - THE SKULL 3

This is a bit confusing, but what we have here are songs co-written by doom legend Eric Wagner before he died in 2021 for what would have been the third record by The Skull, who ruled.

Blind-era COC vocalist Karl Agell and ex-Saint Vitus frontman Scott Reagers here take over the mic duties, backed up by drummer Henry Vasquez (Pentagram, Saint Vitus), guitarists Lothar Keller (The Skull) and Scott Little (Leadfoot), and bassist Ron Holzner (Trouble, The Skull). So, new band, Legions Of Doom, but first order of business is paying tribute to Wagner with this material, and even one song (“Heaven”) with Wagner himself singing.

Confused yet? This review is almost over and I'm still wrapping my head around it all, and also coming to terms with this: Wagner's voice was one of a kind, and going in to this with the man on my mind then... not hearing him is disappointing, but these songs are great, “Hallow By All Means” truly a hypnotic and epic closer, and opener “Beyond The Shadow Of Doubt” is heavy, soulful, doomy, southern, memorable... man, it would have soared with Wagner.

AEON GODS FEAT. FORMER AETERNITAS MEMBERS DEBUT "AEON GODS" VISUALIZER VIDEO

AEON GODS FEAT. FORMER AETERNITAS MEMBERS DEBUT "AEON GODS" VISUALIZER VIDEO

September 23, 2024, an hour ago

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Aeon Gods have released a visualizer video for "Aeon Gods", first single taken from the debut album, King Of Gods, to be released on November 22 via Scarlet Records.

In this epic metal anthem, the Babylonian god Marduk leads his valiant warriors into a fierce battle against the dark mother goddess Tiamat. With thunderous battle chants and heavy guitar riffs, the song proclaims the glory of the Aeon Gods – making it a true outstanding heavy metal hymn. Watch the visualizer below.

After the long-standing symphonic metal unit Aeternitas dissolved, their masterminds Anja and Alex Hunzinger immediately conjured up a new concept and found a different musical home built around a cinematic sound flavoured by elements of power and symphonic metal: Aeon Gods emerged as the modern messengers of the ancient mythological gods, infusing new blood into the epic metal scen

TODAY IN METAL HISTORY 🤘 SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2024🤘 BRUCE DICKINSON, NIGHT RANGER, PINK FLOYD, KISS, SAVATAGE, MEGADETH

TODAY IN METAL HISTORY 🤘 SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2024🤘 BRUCE DICKINSON, NIGHT RANGER, PINK FLOYD, KISS, SAVATAGE, MEGADETH

September 15, 2024, 8 hours ago

news heavy metal deep purple kiss savatage bruce dickinson megadeth



TALENT WE LOST

R.I.P. John "Johnny Ramone" William Cummings (RAMONES): October 8th, 1948 - September 15th, 2004 (aged 55)



R.I.P. Richard William "Rick" Wright (PINK FLOYD): July 28th, 1943 - September 15th, 2008 (aged 65)





GENE SIMMONS Apologizes To DAVID LEE ROTH - "I Am So Sorry And Ashamed"; Video




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Married… With Children / Sons Of Anarchy Star KATEY SAGAL Reveals On-And-Off Relationship With GENE SIMMONS - “He Was Cute And Had A Lot Of Confidence”





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HEAVY BIRTHDAYS

Happy 72nd
Kelly Keagy (NIGHT RANGER) - September 15th, 1952



Happy 57th
Jerry Dixon (WARRANT) - September 15th, 1967

HEAVY RELEASES

Happy 52nd
GRAND FUNK RAILROAD's Phoenix - September 15th, 1972

Happy 40th
MOTÖRHEAD's No Remorse - September 15th, 1984



Happy 37th
KISS' Crazy Nights - September 15th, 1987



Happy 27th
SAVATAGE's The Wake Of Magellan - September 15th, 1997


Happy 26th
BRUCE DICKINSON’s The Chemical Wedding – September 15th, 1998



Happy 18th
NAPALM DEATH's Smear Campaign - September 15th, 2006
BUCKETHEAD's Crime Slunk Scene - September 15th, 2006

Happy 15th
LIVING COLOUR's The Chair In The Doorway - September 15th, 2009
MEGADETH's Endgame - September 15th, 2009

MELIAH RAGE's Masquerade - September 15th, 2009
ACE FREHLEY’S Anomaly - September 15, 2009
THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's Deflorate - September 15th, 2009
DREAM THEATER's Wither EP - September 15th, 2009
DYING FETUS' Descend Into Depravity - September 15th, 2009
EVERY TIME I DIE's New Junk Aesthetic - September 15th, 2009
IT DIES TODAY's Lividity - September 15th, 2009
KITTE's In The Black - September 15th, 2009
MINISTRY's The Last Dubber - September 15th, 2009
PROTEST THE HERO's Gallop Meets The Earth (Live CD/DVD) - September 15th, 2009
SALT THE WOUND's Ares - September 15th, 2009
SHADOWS FALL's Retribution - September 15th, 2009
SKINLAB's The Scars Between Us - September 15th, 2009

Happy 10th
XERATH’s III – September 15th, 2014

Happy 7th
ENSIFERUM’s Two Paths – September 15th, 2017
MYRKUR’s Mareidt – September 15th, 2017
BELPHEGOR’s Totenritual – September 15th, 2017
CALIGULA’S HORSE’s In Contact – September 15th, 2017
THE CONTORTIONIST’s Clairvoyant – September 15th, 2017
CRIPPER’s Follow Me: Kill! – September 15th, 2017
FLESHKILLER’s Awaken – September 15th, 2017
A HILL TO DIE UPON’s Via Artis Via Mortis – September 15th, 2017
NOTHING MORE’s The Stories We Tell Ourselves – September 15th, 2017
PROPHETS OF RAGE’s Prophets Of Rage – September 15th, 2017
SOIL’s Scream: The Essentials – September 15th, 2017
VATTNET’s Vattnet – September 15th, 2017



Happy 1st
Baroness - Stone - September 15th, 2023
Brujeria - Esto Es Brujeria - September 15th, 2023
Corey Taylor - CMF2 - September 15th, 2023
Electric Boys - Grand Explosivos - September 15th, 2023
Gridlink - Coronet Juniper - September 15th, 2023
Mayhem - Daemonic Rites - September 15th, 2023
Molybaron - Something Ominous - September 15th, 2023
Night Verses - Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night: Part 1 - September 15th, 2023
Otep - The God Slayer - September 15th, 2023
Ronnie Romero - Too Many Lies, Too Many Masters - September 15th, 2023
Shade Empire - Sunholy - September 15th, 2023
Shining - Shining - September 15th, 2023
Tesseract - War Of Being - September 15th, 2023
War Of Ages - Dominion - September 15th, 2023

HEAVY METAL HISTORY: Leviathan – Mastodon

METALLICA had Master Of Puppets in 1986, ENTOMBED had Left Hand Path in 1990 and BRITNEY SPEARS had In the Zone in 2003. Many artists have had their breakthrough from an iconic album and, In 2004, for MASTODON, Leviathan did much the same for their trajectory.



The early-mid 2000’s surged with heavy metal releases. Nu-metal dominated the era, and 2004 saw a particular rise in metalcore. It was a time for angsty, moshing, I-hate-everyone anthems, as LAMB OF GOD dropped Ashes Of The Wake in 2004, and metal favourites SLIPKNOT broke the mainstream with Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses the same year. MASTODON didn’t fit within this “New Wave of American Heavy Metal” in which they were placed; Trading the easy-on-the-ear melodies and emo underpinnings of bands like SHADOWS FALL and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE for a grittier, more progressive offering.

2002’s Remission was an ambitious debut. Rough around the edges, but packed with fiery passion. The band didn’t hold back on unleashing their unique sound in a time where no metal sounded like theirs. While Remission was by all means a potent start, it missed the spark that ignited in Leviathan and burned throughout later albums. Released on the 31st August 2004 on Relapse Records, Leviathan took off instantly and would elevate MASTODON from an underground metal treasure to one of the biggest names in the scene. From playing clubs and bars the album saw them join the bill on the 2004 Unholy Alliance European tour with SLIPKNOT and SLAYER, plus a place on the second stage at 2005’s Ozzfest. Picking up ‘Album of the Year’ awards from Revolver, Kerrang! and Terrorizer, Leviathan‘s impact would last for years to come.

It’s not difficult to understand why Leviathan had the impact it did. The record is a powerful amalgamation of sludge, prog and heavy metal, loosely based on Herman Melville’s classic novel, Moby Dick. The second album in their four-part elemental theming (Remission (2002): fire; Leviathan (2004): water; Blood Mountain (2006): earth; Crack The Skye (2009): Air), the concept was conjured up by drummer Brann Dailor after reading the novel in 2003. Despite concerns that this could have gone down like a lead balloon, the rest of the band excitedly adopted the novel’s aesthetics. Their lives touring in vans, seeking out their musical obsession, became an analogy to Captain Ahab in search of the white whale – ‘the sea-salt Mastodon’ as it is referred to in the book.


While not a total narration of the novel, its influence and theming is immediately evident from the now-legendary cover of the ferocious white whale destroying a ship. Deliberately placed upon the head of the white whale sits a crown of cobras. In doing this, artist Paul Romano likens the whale to Vishnu, who in Hinduism, “is essentially the creator: He dreams us, and we dream him”. This mystical imagery is continued through the album’s lyrics, and enhanced by the vibrant creativity of the instrumentals. Capturing the intensity of the great voyage, the motion of the rolling waves, the mental state of Captain Ahab, and the mystery of the creatures that lurk in the deep.

If any band wonders how to open an album, they should be directed to Blood And Thunder. Creating the most face melting riff with three chords, Leviathan erupts without warning. From Troy Sanders’ first screech of “I think someone is trying to kill me!” We are teleported into the mind of Captain Ahab and his monomaniac obsession with hunting the white whale, his holy grail. The madness of interwoven riff work, bellowed repetitions and ferocious drumming echo his paranoia and loss of control. Not only did the track move mountains, or oceans in this case, it demonstrated the band’s evolution from 2002’s Remission.

I Am Ahab showcases the band’s mastery of complexity. The track falls nowhere short of the album’s beast of an opener, but it’s more technical, more emotive. I Am Ahab takes a different stance to the intense perspective of Blood And Thunder, detailing the sailors’ attraction to the sea and their decision to hunt the mighty whale:

“There’s magic in the water that attracts all men. Across hills and down streams… Built to slay and conquer. All with teeth of beasts”

In contrast, Seabeast delves into the deeper, heavier side of MASTODON. Initially melodic and slow, it gives you serious whiplash by the monstrous heaviness towards the end. The musical weight of the song is underpinned by an emotional heft, with the lyrics providing an introspective take on life at sea. While the direct references to Moby Dick disappear in the subsequent songs, Iron Tusk and Megalodon, the ocean theme is maintained. Iron Tusk takes a look at the dangerous use of harpoons, while Megalodon lives up to its name as a beast of a track. The latter opens with a swirling melody reflecting the deceptive calmness of the sea. An unexpected country-esque jingle marks a turn in the tide, launching the track into thunderous thrashing riffs with key changes that hit your ears perfectly.

Hearts Alive concludes the story of Moby Dick and, arguably, the album. At almost 14 minutes long, it’s the longest in MASTODON history, and weaves through their full array of sounds. Some fans have criticised the song for being too long or not captivating enough. And while, yes, music is subjective, that opinion is incorrect. Intentionally reminiscent of METALLICA‘s Call Of Ktulu, its opening sets the dark atmosphere for the final struggle against the whale. The shifting pace of the track echoes Ahab’s final moments with his nemesis, which culminates in the masterful repetition of a truly heartfelt riff. It’s hard to see this as anything other than MASTODON‘s masterpiece.

Leviathan is still hailed as one of the best metal albums of the 21st century, and there are few albums which have catapulted a band’s career like this. The influence of this record is not only heard throughout the MASTODON back catalogue, but has worked its way throughout the world of modern metal. Even listening to it now, 20 years on, it hits with a pummelling force which will no doubt sustain its legacy.



Leviathan was originally released on August 31st, 2004 via Relapse Records.

Like MASTODON on Facebook.

Orange Goblin: Commence Transmission

ORANGE GOBLIN are stalwarts of the British heavy metal scene. Having started out as a stoner rock band with their debut Frequencies From Planet 10, over the next three decades their sound has evolved to incorporate elements of traditional heavy metal, punk, thrash and blues. Their tenth album, Science, Not Fiction, is set for release in July on Peaceville Records nearly 30 years into the band’s career.





“Next year will be our 30 year anniversary,” says Ben Ward, the band’s giant of a frontman. “It’s over half of my life. Sometimes it feels like a prison sentence but it’s been a fun, enjoyable ride. When we started out we were bored teenagers that just wanted to make music and we had no preconceptions of where it was gonna go. We’d have been chuffed with doing a three track demo and some shows in the local pubs. But it kind of snowballed from there.”

When the band formed in the late 90s it was in the midst of a stoner rock explosion in the UK. Alongside ORANGE GOBLIN, there was a thriving scene developing with bands such as ELECTRIC WIZARD, CATHEDRAL and ACRIMONY, while American bands like KYUSS, FU MANCHU, and MONSTER MAGNET, were making trips over the pond. “We were the go-to support to play those shows, which really helped escalate our profile,” reflects Ben. “Then signing to Lee Dorian’s [CATHEDRAL, ex-NAPALM DEATH] label in 1995 and releasing our first album cemented our position within that scene. It’s been an amazing journey since then.”

Ben and his bandmates cut their teeth in an age before social media, where building your following was all about going out, playing shows, sleeping on the equipment in the back of a clapped out van, recording demos and trading tapes, and getting their name out via fanzines. They’ve stuck to this DIY ethos throughout their career, which Ben believes is firmly rooted in the heavy metal lifestyle, and it’s clear from their lyrics and live shows that ORANGE GOBLIN are lifers.

“Heavy metal isn’t something you just dip your toe into. It’s a lifestyle,” says Ben. “As a kid I went through different phases at school where I was into stuff like THE BEATLES and THE KINKS because my dad was into that and my mum was into Motown and soul and I still love all that stuff but it was only when I discovered hard rock and heavy metal that I found my calling. As you get involved in it you notice that camaraderie within the scene. We’re all deemed as freaks and weirdos by what people would call normal society and I loved that and bought into that whole thing. For anyone who plays our style of music it’s what fuels us and drives our ambition.”


Booze has always been a big part of Ben’s life, having grown up in a pub. During his career as musician he admits to using heavy metal as an excuse to indulge and in doing so developed a reputation of one of the scene’s most hedonistic wildmen. But, as he says, it got to a point where he had to make a change. “I was going through bouts of depression and my weight ballooned and I wasn’t a nice person to be around. I made the call to change once and for all. I didn’t go to any counselling or anything I just had the willpower and decided enough was enough. I’ve got a son, a wife and my bandmates and my behaviour was detrimental to all of that. My only regret is not doing it sooner. I used to think that I needed a drink to go on stage but I realised there’s a natural adrenaline that I get now which is far better than any drink or drug.”




It’s certainly a change for the better. There is a newfound clarity in Ben’s performance, not just in his forceful, preacher-like delivery which he says is inspired in part by CLUTCH’s Neil Fallon, but also in the lyrics. It’s a much more personal album than previous offerings.

“This album is more personal to me because of those lifestyle changes that I’ve gone through and it’s opened my eyes to what’s going on in the world around me. In the past I used to bury myself in the idea of fantasy, which is something I love about heavy metal and is one of the things that drew me to it in the first place, DIO singing about wizards and dragons but I wanted to do something a bit different for ORANGE GOBLIN. There’s commentary on social events that have gone on in the last few years. That’s where the album’s title Science Not Fiction comes from.”

Perhaps the most explicit example of social commentary on the album is on the track False Hope Diet, in which he deals with issues such as the COVID pandemic, vaccines and even chemtrails. These are potentially contentious issues but Ben isn’t worried about facing backlash because of them. “No because I think those issues need facing. What I’ve come to realise is that I’m not the best singer in the world, I’m not Bruce Dickinson, but what I am good at is not giving a fuck about what people think of me or what they say about me. These things are just my observations, they don’t necessarily mean that they’re the thoughts of the whole band, it’s just me pouring my thoughts onto a song. False Hope Diet is me saying we’re fucking sick of the lies that we’re getting fed on a daily basis by the television, the newspapers, the government. It’s bullshit and there’s only so much we can take.”

Fittingly, with it being the band’s tenth album, the alien world depicted on the cover is a subtle nod to their debut, Frequencies From Planet 10. They bring thing’s full circle with the barnstorming closer, which serves as a reflection of the band’s career to date and hints that this could be the end for ORANGE GOBLIN. “The last song on the album is called End Of Transmission because that first album was our first signal to the world and the end of this one could possibly be our last thing we ever do. Whether it is or not is to be seen. I certainly hope it’s not.”



Science, Not Fiction is out now via Peaceville Records.

Like ORANGE GOBLIN on Facebook.

Powerwolf: Heretic Hunting Thunderpriests

The past decade has seen POWERWOLF’s fortunes improve at a gradual but unstoppable pace. The lupine-obsessed German five-piece have risen the ranks and are now one of the biggest names in power metal. Across Europe, they’re an arena-filling, festival-headlining monolith and they’re making significant progress in the UK as well.





Success hasn’t come without a cost though and their keyboardist, Falk Maria Schlegel has been kept very busy during the constant grind of life in a professional metal band. When Distorted Sound speaks with him, he’s roughly halfway through a six-hour interview marathon and already spent a sizeable chunk of his day answering questions about Wake Up The Wicked, the latest POWERWOLF album. As the link between the band and their management, record label and booking agency, he’s got loads of bureaucracy to manage, so it would be entirely understandable if he wasn’t in the best of moods.

Instead, he’s got more energy than we do. He answers every question with enthusiasm and charm, makes several jokes and laughs easily throughout our conversation. He’s conclusive proof that despite the stereotype, German people do have a sense of humour and he’s clearly excited about the new record.

Wake Up The Wicked is the band’s ninth full-length (tenth, if you count last year’s odds ‘n’ sods collection Interludium) and it’s another highly enjoyable collection of anthems. The songs are slightly shorter this time, but they’re full of big choruses, bombastic riffs and catchy melodies. They didn’t set out to write snappier songs, but it’s given Wake Up The Wicked a particular vibe.

“We didn’t recognise at first that the songs are not as long as usual, but I think that’s why this album has a certain dynamic,” he tells us. “It feels like one people will finish and then immediately listen to again. It wasn’t until we rehearsed them that we realised they were turning out shorter.”

As a result, Wake Up The Wicked feels like POWERWOLF at their most streamlined. It’s a fast, punchy album where every song comes across like a mini epic. They are loud, grandiose singalongs designed to get thousands of fists punching skywards and it’s a glorious, melodramatic party, even when they tackle dark subjects.



“Art can entertain even with serious topics,” says Falk. “You don’t have to insist on saying ‘oh my God, how was bad was this?’ When people come to our shows, it’s the Heavy Metal Mass. It’s a party, I’m not thinking about suffering, I’m having a good time.”

This is arguably POWERWOLF’s biggest strength, they always find ways to be entertaining. Their live shows are enormous celebrations with Falk and his bandmates clearly having an incredible time and there’s very little introspection or brooding to be had. POWERWOLF aren’t afraid of the dark, but don’t expect to wallow in misery with them, even if they do wear corpse paint.


There’s also a surprising amount of depth to their music and on this record, that’s most immediately apparent on 1589. On the surface, it’s a classic POWERWOLF song with a memorable hook and lots of theatricality, but there’s far more to it than a straightforward playlist-friendly single. It tells the story of Peter Stumpp, the so-called Werewolf Of Bedburg, a famous figure from a grim part of German history. Born at some point in the 1530s, Stumpp grew up to become a farmer and would have likely been forgotten if it wasn’t for how he met his end. After several shocking murders in the local community, Stumpp was arrested and confessed to killing two pregnant women and fourteen children, including his own son. Shortly after, he was placed on a torture wheel and subjected to a horrific death that involved red hot pincers and a beheading.



This may sound like a rather formulaic “serial killer inspires metal song” story, but there’s more to it. During his trial, Stumpp was accused of being a werewolf who committed his crimes due to an insatiable bloodlust. That alone makes him perfect fodder for a POWERWOLF song, but that’s not all. Stumpp was a Protestant in a largely Catholic region and the tensions between two conflicting strands of Christianity form a water-muddying backdrop to his story. Plus, his confession was made under torture and that’s not exactly the most reliable way to ensure factual accuracy.


“It was fascinating to do research into that story, we looked at flyers and documents from Denmark and the UK about this trial and they talked about this guy as if he was a werewolf! But he was also an outsider, and it took place during these dark times, and we had the context of him being a werewolf and a dark person, but we also had the theme of his suffering,” Falk explains. “The torture back then was really gruesome, the Middle Ages were not the best time to live!”

So, while it’s easy to dismiss POWERWOLF and indeed, the wider power metal genre as rather frivolous, there’s a lot more to them than simple entertainment. In this one song, there’s a combination of murder, torture, religious persecution, evil, and an ever-present spectre of whether he genuinely was guilty or just a scapegoat.

“I don’t know if he was really guilty. Perhaps he was a murderer, but this was a time of war and there were no objective people in this case, but our focus was on telling a story. We are entertainers and we’re fascinated by things like this.”

If you’ve spent much time delving into their back catalogue though, you’ll already know that POWERWOLF aren’t exclusively interested in the dark. They’ve got a proud tradition of writing more light-hearted tracks that are laced with filthy innuendos and come across like a Gothic version of a CARRY-ON movie. One of their more popular numbers is titled Resurrection By Erection and revolves around the rejuvenating powers of oral sex. Wake Up The Wicked continues this cheeky ritual with Kyrie Klitorem, which at first glance seems innocent enough, but don’t use your work computer to translate it.



“I like when people just wind up discussing the song title, even if they don’t hear the song!” Laughs Falk. “We released the titles and people are already talking about Kyrie Klitorem, just because of the name. There’s a thin line between stupid silly stuff and more nudge and wink stuff, we like to hit this line in a comic way.”

Kyrie Klitorem might have a naughty subject matter, but it’s also a great song. You could strip the lyrics out and replace them with something more straight-faced and it would still be a great song, but that’s one reason why POWERWOLF’s sense of humour works. The jokes are a bonus, rather than the main selling point. They can sit alongside serious-minded cuts about the Inquisition and Swedish werewolf mythology without seeming out of place, all of them forming a part of the band’s wider ‘metal mass’.

This approach has already led POWERWOLF to conquer mainland Europe and they’re making in-roads into the English-speaking metal world too. In the past, power metal has struggled to break into the British market, but alongside contemporaries like SABATON, POWERWOLF are doing much to change that. The Swedish war-enthusiasts have already made history by headlining Wembley Arena twice, and it’s a relatively safe bet that POWERWOLF will be next.

Which might explain why Falk spends the first part of our interview discussing British slang.

“I heard the phase ‘that’s proper sound.’ That means ‘cool,’ right?”

It certainly does.



“Cheers mate.”

Wake Up The Wicked is out now via Napalm Records.

Like POWERWOLF on Facebook.

PHENOCRYST - CREMATION PYRE

Portugal death metal monsters Phenocryst have the heaving sounds of death/doom down solid, as showcased immediately on killer opener “Pinnacle Of Death” here.

Hard to believe this is a debut as this band—who, astoundingly, sing strictly about volcanoes—sound so assured and steady-footed that you'd think this is four or five Immo- and Incan-loving albums in, but here we are, “Astonishing Devastation” the soundtrack to my morning coffee and also the total destruction of the world (via lava), blastbeats making an appearance but the whole thing still just being a slog through the sewer... uh, I mean volcanoes.

Album centrepiece “Embers Of An Ancient Fire” is 6:31 of pure atmospheric death/doom majesty, “Volcanic Winter” offers a wink and a nod to debut-era Entombed, and “Burial Swamps” ends things off smartly and maturely. I mean, the lyrical conceit may seem a bit absurd, but, what, does DM usually have something better to talk about?