Definitely not the news you wanted to start the day with.  It has been sadly confirmed that Cronos of Venom has passed away at the age of 63 today.  No cause of death has been confirmed as of yet, but tributes across the entire metal world are already pouring in.

The man, along with Mantas and Abaddon, helped forge what would become thrash, black metal, death metal and all the other forms of extreme metal with all those classic records like Welcome To Hell, Black Metal and At War With Satan.

R.I.P. Cronos, and thank you for all the legendary tunes and records.  Our thoughts are with the family and friends!

Rise and shine, because Trivium have shared the official music video for their brand new single "Dead Inside Of Me".  The single is the first taste of what will be their yet-untitled eleventh studio album, due for release in late 2026 or early 2027.  Stay tuned for more details on that.

The song seems to swim in the realms of the mid-paced groove of Silence In The Snow, mixed with the aggression and blasts of intensity of The Sin & The Sentence, which is not a bad thing at all.  Great song!

Incredibly sad news has come from the ZZ Top camp as drummer Frank Beard has sadly passed away at the age of 77.  A cause hasn't been disclosed yet, but over the last year or so, Frank has been showing signs of health issues, causing the band to have a replacement drummer sit in for certain shows.  This now leaves Billy Gibbons as the only one left from the originating days.  Elwood Francis has been with the band for the last five years following the passing of Dusty Hill in 2021.

Billy and Elwood announced that they would keep going per Frank's wishes, but it's going to be quite hard seeing ZZ Top with just Billy right now.  We just have to accept it because nothing lasts forever.

TRIVIUM - CROWN IN THE GRAVE TOUR 2026
w/ In Flames, Fit For An Autopsy, Orbit Culture and Frozen Soul

November 05 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Live *
November 06 - Atlanta, GA @ Eastern *
November 07 - Louisville, KY @ Old Forester's Paristown Hall *
​November 08 - Grand Rapids, MI @ GLC Live @ 20 Monroe *
November 10 - Silver Spring, MD @ Fillmore *
​November 11 - New Haven, CT @ College Street Music Hall *
November 12 - New York City, NY @ Terminal 5 *
​November 14 - Philadelphia, PA @ Franklin Music Hall *
November 15 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium *
​November 17 - Laval, QC @ Place Bell *
November 18 - Toronto, ON @ Great Canadian Casino *
​November 20 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royak Oak Music Theatre **
November 21 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom **
​November 22 - Madison, WI @ Sylvee **
November 24 - Nashville, TN @ Pinnacle **
​November 25 - Chesterfield, MO @ Factory @ The District **
November 27 - San Antonio, TX @ Boeing Centre **
​November 28 - Houston, TX @ Bayou Music Centre **
November 29 - Dallas, TX @ South Side Ballroom **
December 02 - Phoenix, AZ @ Financial Theatre **
December 03 - Las Vegas, NV @ Pearl Concert Theatre **
December 04 - Los Angeles, CA @ YouTube Theatre **
​December 05 - San Francisco, CA @ Masonic **
December 07 - Penticton, BC @ Trade & Convention Centre **
​December 08 - Vancouver, BC @ Thunderbird Sports Centre **
December 09 - Seattle, WA @ Paramount Theatre **
​December 11 - Reno, NV @ Grand Sierra Resort **
December 13 - Denver, CO @ Mission Ballroom **
​December 15 - Tulsa, OK @ Tulsa Theatre **
December 16 - Omaha, NE @ Steelhouse **
​December 18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Citizens Live @ The Wylie **
December 19 - Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore **

For much of this year, Trivium have been working on what will be their eleventh studio album, and are also touring like the road dogs they are.  Speaking of which, the band have announced a massive headline tour across North America for the fall dubbed Crown In The Grave.

The tour is set to take place between Novembe 5 in St. Petersburg, Florida and run through December 19 in Charlotte, North Carolina, spanning for 36 shows across the U.S and Canada, and will feature special guests In Flames and Frozen Soul for the entire tour, with Fit For An Autopsy on the first third of the tour from November 5 to the 18th, and Orbit Culture jumping into their slot for the remaining two thirds from November 20 to December 19.  Tickets go on sale this Friday, July 24 at 10 AM local time, with the pre-sale already going on right now.  The band have also declared that this tour will feature a taste of the new music that is to come on album #11, due for release in early 2027.

The day we Anthrax fans have been waiting 10 years for will be here before we know it, and that's the release of their long-awaited new studio album Cursum Perficio, out September 18.  The first single "It's For The Kids" was released a couple of months ago, so that means it's time for another taste.  Well, here's single #2: "Edge Of Perfecction. 

Compared to the first single, this one has a lot of black metal vibes in the riffing while still maintaining that melodic aspect that Anthrax are known for.  With the clean chords, this one feels like an homage to "Blood Eagle Wings" off For All Kings, which is not a bad thing at all.  Either way, watch the cinematic video down below.

Ready to feel old again?  Well, get ready for this one.  Whitechapel are the latest band to celebrate 20 years of existence and deathcore dominance, and they will be doing it in grand style with a tour later this year.  They will be trekking across the U.S and Canada with Acacia Strain, Chelsea Grin and Netherwalker serving as special guests.  Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 12 at 10 AM local time.

WHITECHAPEL 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR
w/ The Acacia Strain, Chelsea Grin and Netherwalker

Nov 11 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
Nov 13 - Orlando, FL @ House Of Blues
Nov 14 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House Of Blues
Nov 16 - Charlotte, NC @ Fillmore
Nov 17 - McKees Rocks, PA @ Roxian Theatre
Nov 19 - Baltimore, MD @ Nevermore Hall
Nov 20 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
Nov 21 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium
Nov 22 - Montreal, QC @ MTELUS *
Nov 24 - Toronto, ON @ History *
Nov 25 - Royal Oak, MI @ Royal Oak Music Theatre
Nov 27 - Cleveland, OH @ Agora Ballroom
Nov 28 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
Nov 29 - Minneapolis, MN @ Fillmore
Dec 01 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
Dec 03 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Union
Dec 04 - Boise, ID @ Treefort Music Hall
Dec 05 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox SoDo
Dec 07 - Sacramento, CA @ Channel 24
Dec 08 - Anaheim, CA @ House Of Blues
Dec 09 - Phoenix, AZ @ Van Buren
Dec 11 - San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theatre
Dec 12 - Oklahoma City, OK @ Diamond Ballroom
Dec 13 - Houston, TX @ House Of Blues
Dec 14 - Dallas, TX @ House Of Blues
Dec 16 - Cincinnati, OH @ Andrew J Brady Music Centre
Dec 18 - Pelham, TN @ Caverns

* No Netherwalker

Well, that took long enough, don't you think?  It has been a whole decade since we had new music from Anthrax.  Their long-awaited 11th album has been subject to many delays over the years, mainly due to extensive touring, Covid, their 40th anniversary celebrations, Charlie Benante going out and touring with Pantera, and other things.  However, after years of patiently waiting, the release date, title, track listing and album artwork have finally been revealed.

The album is titled Cursum Perficio, which is Latin for "the completion of a journey", and it will be released on September 18, and the first single "It's For The Kids" will be released this Friday (May 15).  The artwork and track listing can be seen below.  If you look at the artwork, you can see a familiar face.  It's the guy from Among The Living.  I think it's a nice way of bringing things full circle.

Cursum Perficio track listing:

01.  Persistence Of Memory
02.  The Long Goodbye
03.  It's For The Kids
04.  Everybody's Got A Plan
05.  Edge Of Perfection
06.  Infectious
07.  NYC 93
08.  Cursum Perficio
09.  T.O.M.B.
10.  Watch It Go
11.  My Victory