Nuclear Blast Brutal death metal architects Suffocation are set to release their seventh full-length album, ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam’ on Feb. 15, but fans won’t have to wait another two months to hear new material from the band. Suffocation have just unleashed the new track ‘As Grace Descends,’ and spoiler alert: It’s very heavy. After the departure of drummer Mike Smith, there were some big shoes to fill behind the kit. Thus, Suffocation made an incredibly wise decision in recruiting Dave Culross of Malevolent Creation. Culross has drummed from Suffocation in the past, blasting away on the band’s masterful 1998 EP, ‘Despise the Sun.’ “You will definitely hear ‘Despise the Sun’ shining through on this record,” Culross told us in our recent interview with the band. Not only because of my playing on it, but the grooves in some of the stuff that we did are very similar to the grooves in ‘Despise the Sun,’ and I think that’s what will people are gonna characterize between the two albums … you’ll hear the accents in the blasts, a lot of fast double bass; definitely reminiscent of ‘Despise the Sun.’” ‘As Grace Descends’ showcases a more crisp and powerful production standards, which offers an interesting dichotomy as Suffocation bring a more raw sense of composition to the track. Vocalist Frank Mullen is also noticeably straight-forward in his performance, as he keeps his gutturals low while focusing on the pronunciation of his lyrics. Introduce yourselves with ‘As Grace Descends’ in the player below, and whatever you do, only perform the classic Frank Mullen hand chop if you’ve warmed up first, as you will likely break your wrist otherwise. Suffocation, ‘As Grace Descends’ Suffocation, ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam’ Track Listing: 1. ‘Cycles of Suffering’ 2. ‘Purgatorial Punishment’ 3. ‘Eminent Wrath’ 4. ‘As Grace Descends’ 5. ‘Sullen Days’ 6. ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam’ 7. ‘My Demise’ 8. ‘Inversion’ 9. ‘Rapture of Revocation’ 10. ‘Beginning of Sorrow’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/suffocation-pinnacle-of-bedlam-future-of-vocalist-frank-mullen/” title=”Suffocation Talk ‘Pinnacle of Bedlam,’ Future of Frank Mullen + More” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire In this week’s edition of Loudwire’s Top 20 Countdown, Soundgarden continue to hold the top spot with their single ‘Been Away Too Long’ from their first record in 16 years titled ‘King Animal.’ Shinedown and their latest single ‘Enemies’ remain in the No. 2 spot this week. Avenged Sevenfold come in at No. 3 with their track ‘Carry On,’ while Slash ’s new single ‘Standing in the Sun’ featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators settles in at No. 4 this week. In This Moment and their new album’s title track ‘Blood’ round out the top five. Other songs of note on the list include Stone Sour ‘s tune ‘Absolute Zero,’ as well as Volbeat ’s latest single ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ and Three Days Grace ’Chalk Outline.’ P.O.D. make their return to the Top 20 list this week with their track ‘Higher’ off of their latest release ‘Murdered Love.’ Check out the Top 20 songs below and be sure to tune in to Loudwire Radio this weekend to blast these tracks at full volume. Loudwire Radio Top 20 Songs of the Week: 20. P.O.D., ‘Higher’ 19. Kid Rock, ‘Let’s Ride’ 18. Adelitas Way, ‘Alive’ 17. Nonpoint, ‘Left for You’ 16. Young Guns, ‘Bones’ 15. Green Day, ‘Let Yourself Go’ 14. 3 Doors Down, ‘One Light’ 13. Linkin Park ‘Lost in the Echo’ 12. Deftones, ‘Tempest’ 11. All That Remains, ‘Stand Up’ 10. Five Finger Death Punch, ‘The Pride’ 9. Chevelle, ‘Same Old Trip’ 8. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ 7. Volbeat ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ 6. Stone Sour, ‘Absolute Zero’ 5. In This Moment, ‘Blood’ 4. Slash, ‘Standing in the Sun’ 3. Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Carry On’ 2. Shinedown, ‘Enemies’ 1. Soundgarden, ‘Been Away Too Long’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Photos: Facebook: Eye Empire / Papa Roach Eye Empire have made it to their final round after beating out Evans Blue in the last Cage Match. But will they be able to earn their fifth victory and entrance into the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame by beating out one of rock’s heavy hitters? Papa Roach heat things up with their latest single ‘Where Did the Angels Go’ off of their latest studio album ‘The Connection.’ Papa Roach are set for a massive trek next year with Stone Sour. For a full list of cities and dates, go here . So will Papa Roach have a heavenly victory with ‘Where Did the Angels Go’ or will Eye Empire’s ‘I Pray’ join Loudwire’s Cage Match Hall of Fame with a final win? Get in on the action and vote for your favorite track in the poll below! (This Cage Match will run until Monday, Dec. 17 at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Listen to Eye Empire, ‘I Pray’ Listen to Papa Roach, ‘Where Did The Angels Go?’ Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com Scientists love metal, it’s a fact. With the metal gods guiding his way, Brent E. Hendrixson, Ph.D. discovered a new species of tarantula in southwestern New Mexico and southeastern Arizona. After Hendrixson uncovered the spider, he put down his guitar and wiped off his corpse paint, held the tarantula to the sky and let out a mighty roar. From that moment on, the species would be forever known as Aphonopelma Davemustainei, after Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine . Metal musicians have inspired the official scientific names of various new species in the 21st Century. In 2006, Dr. Mats E. Eriksson named a genus of extinct marine polycheaete annelid worm, Kalloprion Kilmisteri, was dedicated to Motorhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister . This year, the same doctor discovered the jaws of an unclassified marine worm. In keeping with his heavy metal tradition, the marine worm was christened ‘ Kingnites Diamondi ‘ after legendary vocalist King Diamond . After learning of the new tarantula species which now bears his name, Dave Mustaine posted a picture of the spider on his Twitter page, sharing his excitement with his fans. How cool is this? I got my own tarantula named after me! Totally metal!!! twitter.com/DaveMustaine/s… — Dave Mustaine (@DaveMustaine) December 12, 2012 There are currently more than 850 classified species of tarantula, although it is believed that there are at least double that amount in existence. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/2013-grammy-awards-best-hard-rock-metal-performance-nominees-anthrax-halestorm-iron-maiden-lamb-of-god-marilyn-manson-megadeth/” title=”Megadeth Nominated for 2013 Grammy Award” align=”center”]
Last week, In Flames announced initial dates for a 2013 headlining tour with Demon Hunter , All Shall Perish and Battlecross. Now, they have unveiled a bunch of new dates. The trek will now take travel into Canada and back into the United States, wrapping up March 7, 2013, in Norfolk, Va. In Flames are currently on their last couple of dates on a tour with Lamb of God , and Loudwire recently caught up with guitarist Bjorn Gellotte. He talked about touring, his pub in Sweden, Randy Blythe’s situation in the Czech Republic and more. Check out the interview here . Just before their February 2013 tour begins, In Flames will be part of the 70,000 Tons of Metal Cruise. For more info, click here . In Flames Updated 2013 U.S. Tour Dates: 2/2/13 – Revolution – Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. 2/4/13 – Georgia Theatre – Athens, Ga. 2/5/13 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, N.C. 2/7/13 – The Madison Theater – Covington, Ky. 2/8/13 – Mojoes – Joliet, Ill. 2/9/13 – Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, Neb. 2/10/13 – Boulder Theater – Boulder, Colo. 2/12/13 – Orpheum Theatre – Flagstaff, Ariz. 2/13/13 – House of Blues – San Diego, Calif. 2/14/13 – The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, Calif. 2/15/13 – Majestic Ventura Theatre – Ventura, Calif. 2/16/13 – Knitting Factory – Reno, Nev. 2/18/13 – Commodore Ballroom – Vancouver, BC Canada 2/20/13 – Union Hall – Edmonton, Alberta Canada 2/21/13 – MacEwan Hall Ballroom – Calgary, Alberta, Canada 2/22/13 – Odeon Events Centre – Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 2/23/13 – The Garrick Centre – Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada 2/24/13 – The Venue – Fargo, N.D. 2/26/13 – The Machine Shop – Flint, Mich. 2/27/13 – Guelph Concert Theatre – Guelph, Ontario, Canada 2/28/13 – Theatre Imperial – Quebec City, Quebec, Canada 3/1/13 – Casino NB – Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada 3/2/13 – Cunard Centre – Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 3/4/13 – Toad’s Place – New Haven, Conn. 3/5/13 – Update Concert Hall – Clifton Park, N.Y. 3/6/13 – Crocodile Rock – Allentown, Pa. 3/7/13 – The NorVa – Norfolk, Va.
Larry Busacca, Getty Images Here’s a look at the top stories of the day on Loudwire and around the Web: – Paul McCartney and Nirvana members Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear perform original song ‘Cut Me Some Slack’ at ’12-12-12′ benefit concert. [ Loudwire ] – Lzzy Hale on 2012 Rock Goddess of the Year competition: ‘We’re all voting for each other.” [ Loudwire ] – Former Black Sabbath drummer Bev Bevan voices audiobook for guitarist Tony Iommi’s ‘Iron Man’ audiobook. [ Loudwire ] – Courtney Love slams surviving Nirvana members for their ’12-12-12′ performance with Paul McCartney [ Loudwire ] – Exclusive Premiere: Orgy unveil music video for ‘Grime of the Century.’ [ Loudwire ] – Can’t get enough of the Nuge? Check out this compilation of Ted Nugent ‘s greatest and most ridiculous moments of 2012. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Adam Sandler remakes Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah’ for ’12-12-12′ Hurricane Sandy concert. [ Ultimate Classic Rock ] – Adele snags Golden Globe nomination for ‘Skyfall’ theme song. [ Diffuser.fm ] – Ghost to perform special show in Sweden and are currently finishing up on their 2013 album. [ Rock Music Report ]
Seven Four Ent. Swedish heavy metal act Ghost have proven to be one of the most bizarre major successes of 2012. Having kept their faces out of the spotlight with an evil Pope frontman and cult-like black hooded robes, Ghost signed a record deal with Seven Four Ent., which is under the Universal umbrella. Luckily for fans, Ghost are now finishing up their first album under that deal, which will be released in 2013. In an official press release, Ghost announced that they are now putting the finishing touches on their as-yet-untitled follow-up to their debut album, ‘Opus Eponymous.’ The debut disc was met with massive acclaim, and rightly so. For those who haven’t listened to Ghost, do yourself a favor and check out their music. Although simple in nature, the unpolished and chilling cadence found in ‘Opus Eponymous’ is not only brilliant, but strangely original. If that description doesn’t convince you, this quote from one of the nameless band members may change your mind: “Hard rock is about who has the biggest d–k and pop music is about who’s got the smallest. I guess we’re pretty average. But in order to have a big d–k, you have to have it mentally.” Meanwhile, Ghost will play a special show this Saturday, Dec. 15, in their hometown of Linköping, Sweden. Check out some of Ghost’s music below and stay tuned for details on their next album as news breaks. Ghost, ‘Elizabeth’