Welcome Metal Wani readers. From this week onwards, we will bring in the weekly articles to refresh your mind about all things metal. Below are the top 10 most important moments of the week (from December 11th to December 17th, 2016)
New IMMOLATION Single
On Tuesday, whispers of a new Immolation album could be heard. Some stunning artwork leaked (which included their old logo, which hasn’t been used since 1996’s Here In After), and a slated release date for February. On Thursday, these rumors were confirmed. The band announced through social media that their tenth album, Atonement, will be released on the 24th of February through Nuclear Blast Records.
The band also shared the first taste of Atonement – a video for the sixth track on the album, “Destructive Currents.” First impressions of the track are largely positive – this is very much the top-tier death metal Immolation are known the world over for delivering.
I AM MORBID
News broke on Thursday of the return of original Morbid Angel frontman David Vincent! Vincent and former Morbid Angel drummer Tim Yeung join forces once again to play material from the first four classic Morbid Angel records – Altars of Madness, Blessed Are The Sick, Covenant and Domination – under the banner of I Am Morbid. Joining Vincent and Yeung are Bill Hudson and Ira Black.
The project follows the news last year that Trey Azagthoth and Morbid Angel parted ways with David Vincent and brought Steve Tucker back into the fold. I Am Morbid has two shows announced already – 24th of March in Belo Horizonte and the 25th of March in São Paulo. It is expected more shows are to be announced soon. Whether this is just a live project or whether the band will enter the studio remains to be seen.
I Am Morbid take their name from one of the tracks from Morbid Angel’s misguided 2011 effort Illud Divinum Insanus.
Dimebash Drama Continues
In January of this year, former Pantera frontman Phil Anselmo faced a tsunami of justified backlash after throwing up a sieg heil and shouting “White Power!” during a tribute concert for late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell. Countless prominent members of the metal community came forward calling Anselmo out for his actions, including Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn and Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian. After months of online commentary, Anselmo gave an interview with Decibel Magazine in October to put the issue to rest.
Or so we thought. In an interview with Sirius XM Volume that aired on Thursday, Anselmo had a few choice words to say about Robb Flynn. He also claimed that following an email from Scott Ian,he donated a sizeable amount of money to a Jewish charity, and that it wasn’t reported because it “wouldn’t make [a] good headline.” The full interview can be watched on the Sirius XM Volume Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/siriusxmvolume/videos/1452121084805756/
EYEHATEGOD Frontman Receives New Liver
Back in August, it was announced EYEHATEGOD frontman Mike IX Williams was having undisclosed health issues, and had Phil Anselmo fill in for him on live dates. In November, that unfortunate news broke that Williams has cirrhosis of the liver, and was in need of a life-saving liver transplant. A crowd-funding campaign was launched to pay for his medical bills.
On Thursday, the world was greeted with the excellent news that a donor was found, and Williams had successful surgery on Thursday morning. Everyone here at Metal Wani is wishing Williams a speedy recovery from the operation, and we hope to see him back behind the mic in 2017!
Tony Iommi Cancer Scare
On Monday, we were given the worrying news that Black Sabbath’sTony Iommi, the Godfather of Heavy Metal, had yet another cancer scare. In August this year, we were given the fantastic news that Iommi was in remission from stage-three lymphoma. Iommi had been extremely open and honest on his progress with the illness since his diagnosis in 2012.
Iommi told The Irish Times that during a routine checkup, a lump was found in his throat, and upon his return to England, he will undergo an operation to have it removed. It is not yet known whether the lump is cancerous. We all wish the Brummy riff-lord all of our best wishes.
New Darkest Hour!
Washington’s NWOAHM titans Darkest Hour announced on Tuesday that their newest offering, Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora will be released on the 10th of March through Southern Lord Records! Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora will be Darkest Hour’s ninth full-length album, following a hugely successful crowdfunding campaign. The band have also announced a North American tour in support of the record for next spring, with support coming from Rivers of Nihil and Ringworm, with Rotten Sound and Tombs joining on selected dates. See the cover art for Godless Prophets & The Migrant Flora, check out the first single, “Knife In The Safe Room” andcheck out the the tour dates below!
17/02 Washington, D.C. Black Cat *
18/02 Pittsburgh, PA Diesel *
19/02 Cleveland, OH Agora Theater *
21/02 New York, NY Saint Vitus *
23/02 Chicago, IL Reggie’s *
24/02 Milwaukee, WI The Metal Grill *
26/02 Kansas City, MO The Riot Room *
28/02 Denver, CO Marquis Theater *
05/03 Portland, OR Analog Café **
06/03 Seattle, WA Studio Seven **
08/03 San Francisco, CA DNA Lounge **
11/03 San Diego, CA Brick By Brick **
12/03 Phoenix, AZ Club Red **
13/03 Tucson, AZ Club XS **
14/03 Albuquerque, NM The Compound 2 **
15/03 Lubbock, TX Backstage **
16/03 Austin, TX Grizzly Hall **
17/03 Houston, TX White Oak **
19/03 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar & Grill **
21/03 Cincinnati, OH Northside Yacht Club **
* – w/ Rotten Sound
** – w/ Tombs
KREATOR Release TWO New Tracks!
This week was a good one for any fans of Kreator! The Teutonic Thrash foursome have released not one, but two slabs of blistering new thrash to appease those who are eager for their long awaited fourteenth record Gods of Violence. Gods of Violence follows an extremely successful touring cycle dedicated to the critically acclaimed Phantom Antichrist. The new tracks also follows news from last week that Kreator will be headlining the annual Decibel tour in North America, with support from Obituary, Midnight and Horrendous.
The first of new tracks dropped on Thursday. “Earth under the Sword” is a track exclusive to Decibel Magazine – it will be released only on a flexi disc with this month’s issue of Decibel. While “Earth Under The Sword” does not appear on Gods of Violence, it was recorded during the album’s studio sessions. The second track to be released is from the upcoming opus – “Satan Is Real.” “Satan Is Real” was released on Friday afternoon, and is the second single from Gods of Violence – the first being the title track. Stream both tracks below!
EX DEO Premier New Track!
French-Canadian outfit Ex Deo, led by frontman Maurizio Iacono of Kataklysm fame, have unleashed the first taste of their upcoming third album The Immortal Wars – “The Rise of Hannibal.” The Immortal Wars comes as a surprise to the metal world, as Iacono put Ex Deo on an indefinite hiatus in 2014, saying a third album would be unlikely.
The Immortal Wars will be Ex Deo’s second offering through Napalm Records, following 2012’s Caligvla, and 2009’s Romulus – released through Nuclear Blast Records. No tour dates for 2017 have been announced as of yet, but here’s hoping the band hit the road in support of The Immortal Wars. Check out the track list, and stream “The Rise of Hannibal” below.
The Rise of Hannibal
2. Hispania (The Siege of Saguntum)
3. Crossing of the Alps
4. Suavetaurilia (Intermezzo)
5. Cato Major: Carthago delenda est!
6. Ad Victoriam (The Battle of Zama)
7. The Spoils of War
8. The Roman
MAAT Release Their First New Music Since 2014
Germany is a country that is just about as metal as they come with a multitude of the world’s best thrash bands, and an unbelievably strong and exciting underground death metal scene. With Revel In Flesh and Dawn of Disease releasing two 2016’s best albums, it’s time for Maat to take center stage in the German death metal underground for 2017 with Monuments Will Enslave – and the band released the first single from the album on Friday: “March For A Dying God.”
Monuments Will Enslave will be Maat’s second full-length album, following 2014’s As We Create Hope From Above and the Born In Sand EP from 2010. With lyrical content rooted deeply in Ancient Egyptian mythology, the band are likely to draw comparisons to Nile – however the lyrics are where the similarities end, with Maat taking a much more old-school death metal approach compared to Nile’s more technical sound. Stream “March For A Dying God” below, and check out Monuments Will Enslave’s tracklist!
March For A Dying God
2. The Divine Slaughtering Of Mankind
3. Imhotep – Thy Architect
4. Defeating Gods
5. Funeral Eulogy
6. The Path
7. Dissolved Into Dust
8. Fear Of The Unknown
9. The Rise
10. Spread My Word
Obama Outlaws Ticket Bots
Friday brought excellent news for American gig fanatics with President Obama signing legislation to outlaw ticket bots. Ticket bots are a problem prevalent the world over in the live music scene. The allow scalpers to buy thousands of tickets in seconds – often selling out any given concert – with the sole intention of selling them at inflated prices at a later date.
The new legislation for anyone to use a ticket bot to buy more than the maximum number of tickets allocated per person by the ticket retailer, and for any tickets bought using ticket bots to be resold. We can only hope this move form Obama will encourage governments across the world to activate similar legislation in their respective countries.