Metal Riot

Texas thrashers Warbeast are streaming their latest song “Maze of the Minotaur” over at Decibel.

“Maze of the Minotaur” comes off of Warbeast’s upcoming album Enter The Arena due out August 4 via Housecore Records.

The record features newest Warbeast recruits, guitarist Drew Shoup and bassist Lyric Ferchaud.

“I wanted write in a different mode than we normally do; some more mid-paced and slower breakdowns mixed with thrash,” relays guitarist Scott Shelby of the track. “So this happened to really stand out as a notable song. I’m also proud to break out my version of Tony Iommi leads from the Born Again era on this track. Then of course I gave it to [vocalist] Bruce [Corbitt] and he roped it off with the crazy story of the ‘Maze Of The Minotaur.'” 

“My favorite subjects to write about are obviously about horror, psychos, medieval times, and Greek mythology,” Corbitt adds. “I’ve wanted to write a song about the Minotaur for years [In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a creature with the head of a bull and the body of a man]. As soon as I heard the music Shelby came up with, I knew this was the one to capture the atmosphere. The chorus part of the music pretty much spoke to me and I could hear it actually saying the lyrics. That’s when you know it’s going to be a special song.”

Corbitt was recently diagnosed with esophageal cancer. The disease is treatable though rarely curable. Corbitt is currently undergoing an intensive schedule of radiation treatments and played his final show on May 27.

The band’s CD release party will be taking place on July 14. Vocals will be handled by Anselmo, Edwin Neal (Texas Chain Saw Massacre), and Wayne Abney (Hammer Witch).

Comments Anselmo, “In light of the complicated situations surrounding Bruce Corbitt, lead vocalist for Rigor Mortis and Warbeast, respectively, most of us sisters and brothers in the heavy metal community are very aware of, I’d like to extend an enormous amount of just-praise upon him. Since the late 1980s to the present, Bruce has always been a person to count on as a friend, and an excellent man to work closely with. Our love of music brought us together and created an unbreakable bond, and that is a priceless cornerstone that can’t be ignored when examining one’s life in hindsight. Bruce has always shot me straight, given me life advice, and from my perspective, has always been there for anyone and everyone in need, for a myriad of unselfish reasons. I thank all that’s good out there I had the chance to be a part of the four Warbeast releases, and I feel Bruce’s best is on their latest record, Into The Arena. He’s a warrior, a fighter, and best of all, for the better of the genre, one of the most recognized voices in all of heavy metal. Well done, Big Brother.”

You can donate to Bruce Corbitt’s Medical Expenses Fund here.

You can listen to “Maze of the Minotaur” via Decibel and check out Bruce Corbitt Benefit Shows here.

Toledo blues rockers Five Horse Johnson are streaming their latest full-length album Jake Leg Boogie over at Echoes and Dust.

Eric Oblander (vocals/harp) had this to say about the album:

“In many ways, making Jake Leg Boogie was one of the easiest albums to create, even though it took four years to make — sorry, Small Stone [laughs]. Our drummer Tim Gahagan is the engine that drives this band. Over the years, we have been very blessed to have a bevy of kick ass drummers sit in with us. I mean, it’s not every band who gets to make not one, buttwo albums with the great Jean Paul Gaster. But we all grew up with Tim, he was our very first drummer decades ago, and few people understand how we want to do this thing better than he does. That, along with Phil D taking a larger role in the writing process really opened up some fresh angles for us. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard Steve or Brad play better on any of our albums to date, and Brad’s lyric and vocal performances are the best yet. I striped back my harp playing and vocals a bit and tried to find the juicy, primal center, and getting back to collaborating with Brad on lyrics really helped me find fresh, new ways to sing some of the thoughts that were rolling around in my head. Also, thanks to artist Mark Dancey’s understanding of the FIVE HORSE JOHNSON mission, the album art was, as usual, exactly what we wanted and needed. At the end of the day FIVE HORSE JOHNSON is just a group of guys who like to laugh at each other’s jokes, throw back a few beers, travel the world playing music together, and record the coolest albums we can along the way, to document our experiences. Sometimes, if you don’t over think it and just get to it, good things happen. And that’s what’s at the heart of our new album Jake Leg Boogie. We hope ya’ll dig listening to it as much as we dug making it.”

Head over to Echoes and Dust to stream Jake Leg Boogie in its entirety.

Swedish melodic death metallers Amon Amarth are preparing to reissue their fifth and sixth albums via their long-time record label Metal Blade. Fate of Norns and With Oden On Our Side are 13 and 11 years old respectively.

Metal Blade has already re-released Amon Amarth’s debut album Once Sent From The Golden Hall as well as 1999’s The Avenger, The Crusher and Versus The World.

Amon Amarth released their latest album, Jomsviking, in 2016.

Check out the full list of options for both Fate of Norns and With Oden On Our Side here.

Photo Credit: Scott Kinkade

Pennsylvania death metallers Incantation have released a 360-degree video for their song “Rites of The Locust.”

“Rites of The Locust” comes off  the band’s upcoming album Profane Nexus, which is due out on August 11 via Relapse Records.

“With the advent of 360-video visualizer technology, we were able to convey the song’s powerful imagery alongside the intensity of the music. This song is an example of one of the more aggressive songs on the album. We feel it’s the perfect representation of death metal and everything an Incantation fan wants. Rage motherfuckers!”

UK hard rockers Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow have released a new studio recording, “Land of Hope and Glory.”

Blackmore wanted to show his solidarity and support for the UK with this recording. He was moved to release “Land of Hope and Glory” which is a reworking of “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1” (the tune most commonly recognized as “the graduation song”).

Ritchie Blackmore’s Rainbow recently enjoyed success on their 2016 European tour, earning critical acclaim. The band has recently released a concert film from this tour called Memories In Rock: Live In Germany and will release the Live In Birmingham 2016 2CD on June 9.

“Land Of Hope And Glory” will be featured on the bands’ upcoming album To The Moon And Back: 20 Years And Beyond. This collection includes newly recorded and remixed versions of previous tracks as well as brand new tracks, and will be released in July.

Check out “Land of Hope and Glory” via Amazon or iTunes.

Norwegian metallers Timeworn have released their newest album Venomous High via Fysisk Format.

The follow up to 2015’s critically lauded debut Luminescent Wake was recorded at Oslo’s legendary Caliban Studios (Sibiir, Blood Command, Djevel, etc.).

You can check out the tracklist and cover art and stream Venemous High in its entirety here.