Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

Are you ready for hell?  You better be, because Satan's house band: Venom, have announced that they will be releasing their new album From The Very Depths on January 27th via Spinefarm Records.  They will also be on board the 2015 edition of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, where they will give the fans a world premiere of the album, by playing the entire album on the cruise.  The album's release will be one day after the Liberty Of The Seas returns to the dock at Port Everglades, Florida.  The 14-track follow-up to 2011's Fallen Angels will be available on CD and download on January 27th, and a double vinyl will follow shortly after.  Musically, I know what we can expect, because it's Venom.  I mean, come on!

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

What the hell?  Now Chris Broderick has announced that he has left Megadeth, following the shocking announcement yesterday of Shawn Drover quitting.  This was definitely my favourite lineup of Megadeth, so it's tough to see it fall apart. Chris recorded three albums with Megadeth:  Endgame (2009), Thirteen (2011) and Super Collider (2013).  Chris has released the following statement:  "Due to artistic and musical differences, it is with great reluctance that I announce my departure from Megadeth to pursue my own musical direction.

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

Wow, I did not see this coming.  Shawn Drover has announced that he has left Megadeth.  It's definitely sad for me as a fan to see him go, but like anyone, I have to respect his decision. Besides Dave Mustaine and David Ellefson, Shawn was the longest lasting member in Megadeth's history, being the drummer for 10 years, and having recorded 4 great albums with them:  United Abominations (2007), Endgame (2009), Thirteen (2011) and Super Collider (2013).  I've had the pleasure of meeting all of Megadeth, and Shawn was the last one at an in-store signing at Steve's Music in Toronto.  Great dude!

The album's title will be The Order Of Things.  Even though it may sound like a lousy title, the song that they posted entitled "No Knock" is pretty gut-punching.  It has a big Lamb Of God influence, and that might have to do with production duties being handled by Josh Wilbur, who produced the last two Lamb Of God albums: Wrath and Resolution.  The Order Of Things is scheduled for release on February 24th on Razor & Tie Records.  Stay tuned for the track listing and album cover.

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

We all know about the lukewarm reception that the last All That Remains album A War You Cannot Win received from most fans, and I will admit, I was the same way.  Personally, I didn't feel that it was an awesome record, even though it had some good moments.  I'm not saying that it was completely bad, I just felt like the production lacked power.  Even vocalist Phil Labonte admitted that he felt the album wasn't great.  The band recently completed the follow-up to A War You Cannot Win, and have now revealed the title.

Decadent track listing

01.  Speeder
02.  Decadent
03.  House Of Fake
04.  Mystery
05.  Pain
06.  Secrets In Paradise
07.  Meaning Of Life
08.  Breathless
09.  Let Me Out *
10.  Under Your Skin
11.  Untouchable
12.  Shadow Eyes *
13.  Rebels Of The Night
14.  Words In Flames
15.  Falling Angels **

* bonus track digipak, special edition, vinyl
** bonus track Japan

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

We learned that U.D.O. will be releasing their fifteenth studio album Decadent on January 23rd through AFM Records.  The track listing was revealed last week, and now they've revealed the album cover.  The cover sort of reminds me of the cover of Warrant's Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, because of the old guy in a suit.  The only differences are that instead of dollar bills on his head, he's got devil horns.  He's also got sunglasses, tears of blood running down his cheeks, razor teeth and a regular cigar.  Don't worry, I'm not complaining about the album cover, I'm just saying that it sort of reminds me of the Warrant album cover.  U.D.O. will hit the road in 2015, starting with an extensive European headline tour, with summer festival appearances to follow.

Jeff Loomis comments on joining the band:  "I'm very excited to be playing with Arch Enemy.  Michael Amott and I have stayed in contact over the years since we toured together when I was playing in Nevermore.  Not only do I admire his guitar playing and songwriting, but I also consider him a close friend.  To be able to share the stage with Michael, Sharlee, Daniel and Alissa is something I'm really looking forward to. 2015 is going to be a great year.  See you all on tour!"

Nick Cordle comments on departing from the band:  "With War Eternal, I believe we wrote an album together which will stand the test of time, and I wish them well for the future."

Michael comments on Christopher stepping in, Nick leaving and working with Jeff Loomis:  "We all wish Nick the vety best in his new endeavours and we are sure that you will hear much more from him.  We're also super grateful to my brother Christopher for stepping in to finish the current American tour!

The prospect of working with Jeff Loomis moving forward is truly awesome!  Jeff Loomis is one of the best guitar players in the metal world in my opinion, as well as being a long time friend.  I look forward to tearing it up on stages around the world together as we continue on the War Eternal touring cycle throughout all next year and beyond!"

All of us here at Metal Master Kingdom would also like to wish Nick the very best in his future, and we look forward to hearing more music from him, but at the same time, we're also really excited to know that Jeff Loomis is the new guitarist. Knowing how mind-blowing of a guitarist Jeff is, we can't wait to hear what he will add to future Arch Enemy records.  See all of the band's remaining 2014 tour dates down below.

Remaining North American dates w/Kreator (w/Christopher Amott on guitar)

Nov 18 - Minneapolis, MN - Mill City Nights
Nov 19 - Joliet, IL - Mojoes
Nov 20 - Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection
Nov 21 - Detroit, MI - Majestic Theatre
Nov 22 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's
Nov 23 - Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues

European co-headline tour with Kreator
*w/Sodom and Vader

Nov 26 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
Nov 27 - Istres, France - L'Usine
Nov 28 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
Nov 29 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

Wow!  This is unexpected.  Arch Enemy have announced that they have parted ways with guitarist Nick Cordle, but are you ready for this?  They have announced that Jeff Loomis is their new guitarist, who will be joining the band to kick off their upcoming European co-headline tour with Kreator as well as being a part of Arch Enemy moving forward.  In the meantime though, fans will get to witness the band's partial reunion with Michael Amott's brother and former Arch Enemy guitarist, Christopher Amott, who has stepped in to help the band finish its remaining North American co-headline tour with Kreator.  I had the privilege of catching the show at the recent Toronto stop, and it was an incredible show.

Dec 01 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini
Dec 02 - Paris, France - Le Bataclan
Dec 04 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013 *
Dec 05 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - MHP Arena *
Dec 06 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle *
Dec 07 - Saarbrucken, Germany - Garage *
Dec 08 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks * (SOLD OUT)
Dec 09 - Berlin, Germany - Huxley's *
Dec 10 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer *
Dec 11 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof 
Dec 12 - Geiselwind, Germany - Eventhall *
Dec 13 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle * (SOLD OUT)
Dec 14 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 *
Dec 16 - Leamington, England - Assembly Rooms
Dec 17 - Bristol, England - Academy
Dec 18 - London, England - Forum
Dec 19 - Manchester, England - Academy
Dec 20 - Dublin, Ireland - Academy
Dec 21 - Glasgow, Scotland - QMU
Dec 22 - Newcastle, England - Academy

1.  Speeder
2.  Decadent
3.  House Of Fake
4.  Mystery
5.  Pain
6.  Secrets In Paradise
7.  Meaning Of Life
8.  Breathless
9.  Under Your Skin
10.  Untouchable
11.  Rebels Of The Night
12.  Words In Flames

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

We have some news from the U.D.O. camp.  The German band led by Udo Dirkschneider (ex-Accept) have revealed the track listing for it's upcoming 15th studio album entitled Decadent. The album is scheduled for release in Europe on January 26, 2015 through AFM Records.  Decadent is the follow-up to 2013's Steelhammer, which was an absolutely solid record. Matter of fact, I think the last four U.D.O. records: Steelhammer (2013), Rev-Raptor (2011), Dominator (2009) and Mastercutor (2007), so I can only bet that Decadent will continue that winning streak of great albums.  The track listing for the album can be viewed over to the left.

Track Listing: The Healing Powers of Hate - 

1 – Can’t Quiet The Riot
2 – Old News
3 – Anger of The Day
4 – I Will Rise
5 – Control
6 – It Has Begun
7 – Birth of The Broken
8 – Bleed The Sky
9 – Reborn From The Ashes
10 – The Healing Powers of Hate

For more info, tour dates and updates on BornBroken: 

http://bornbroken.bandcamp.com/ 
http://www.facebook.com/bornbroken 
http://www.twitter.com/bornbroken 

The project has plans to release an EP in early 2015, but has yet to announce a vocalist.  Back this summer, Nick and James recorded a cover of Metallica's "Motorbreath", which can be streamed below, and features Davor Garasic on guitar and vocals.  This will definitely be worth checking out.  I'm not one of those people who is wishing that Dave would bring any of these guys or any other former members back to Megadeth because it's just not going to happen, and the current lineup is tight as hell.  Keep checking back here for more updates on the new project in the coming weeks.

Blog author:  Alex Stojanovic

Are you a bigger fan of Megadeth's older catalog, or just a Megadeth fan?  Well, here's some news to get you excited. Former Megadeth members: Chris Poland (guitar), Nick Menza (drummer) and James Lomenzo (bass) have joined forces in a brand new project, which is still unnamed.  James and Nick first announced that they were jamming together back in the summer and cracked through some old Megadeth material, as well as their favourite Metallica and Led Zeppelin songs.  Chris Poland was later announced as the guitarist for the project, and the band held their first rehearsal today (Nov 1), and are already working on original material.  According to Nick, Chris "already has six heavy original songs in the can that we will start working on next week."  You getting excited yet?