TESTAMENT - Rise Up Performance Clip From Dark Roots Of Thrash DVD

Dark Roots Of Thrash, a DVD/2CD release documenting Bay Area veterans TESTAMENT's sold-out headlining performance at the Paramount in Huntington, New York this past February, will be made available on October 11 (Europe) and October 15 (North America) via Nuclear Blast Records.

It captures a total of 19 live tracks with countless cams onstage and high above the audience, plus a special moshpit cam that makes you feel like you're a part of the show. A performance clip of the song Rise Up, taken from Dark Roots Of Thrash, can be seen here:

Dark Roots Of Thrash was produced by Get Hammered Productions, directed by Tommy Jones (DEATH ANGEL, KATAKLYSM, SOILWORK) and mixed by Juan Urteaga (VILE, EXODUS, SADUS, MACHINE HEAD). 

Commented TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson: "Metalheads! In case you've missed us on our Dark Roots campaign tour, here's a day in the life and good representation of our show! Check it out, and put on your list of metal to get!"

Vocalist Chuck Billy added: "For all you diehard metal heads out there, Dark Roots Of Thrash is a must-have for your collection. This live DVD and CD is something you can put in you player and crank up for the feeling of a live TESTAMENT performance! You will get 18 songs from the early days of thrash metal to where we are today. Heavy metal forever!" Read more at Blabbermouth.

SLAYER / LOMBARDO Controversy - Dead Serious Or LICH KING Style

By Featured Artists

Numerous discussions have been going on amongst SLAYER fans around the globe since DAVE LOMBARDO released his statement on being replaced for the band’s current Australian tour two days ago.

Slayer retaliated that “we do not agree with Dave Lombardo's substance or timeline of events” in a statement on Blabbermouth yesterday.

To know that there’s probably no other band on the planet being taken as serious by fans as Slayer is almost general knowledge. No show worldwide can justifiably be classified as metal without someone screaming “SLAYYYEEERRR!!!” and others joining in.

How dead serious the matter can be discussed shows best on the The United Church Of Slayer Facebook page where arguing had reached a degree at which one can hardly speak of “united” fans.

For either of us in the business, TESTAMENT’s Alex Skolnick has the wisest counsel:

Re:Slayer-Not my place (or anyone else's really) to comment on others' business. But as a fan & friend of the band, u hate 2 see falling out

— Alex Skolnick (@AlexSkolnick) February 21, 2013

Again, a completely different approach comes from U.S. thrashers LICH KING. A band to be taken dead serious music wise, but handling lyrics and their public statements with a wink - that is not understood by everyone.

Naturally, Lich King have their own and unique approach to the ongoing controversy and just issued an open letter to Dave Lombardo on their Facebook page.

Don’t get them wrong (again...): Lich King’s drummer Brian Westbrook has neither quit the band nor has he been sacked! The letter is just a damn classy joke that might help certain individuals to put the whole controversy back into perspective.

I laughed myself to tears while having first coffee and listening to South Of Heaven this morning, and hopefully you enjoy it just as much! Here you go:

An open letter to Dave Lombardo

Mr. Lombardo

What with your contract woes with Slayer, it seems you are now no longer a member. Well, Dave, they say with every door that closes, another opens. A big door with our logo on it has just swung wide.

That's right, you just got called up to the big leagues. We'd like to invite you to drum for Lich King.

We are the world's premier unsigned western Massachusetts thrash metal band, and a position with us carries a great deal of clout and privilege. In addition to the twelve dollars we can give you out of our pay split after EVERY SHOW, we are willing to offer you a signing bonus of ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS and one (1) gift certificate for $20 at Red Robin.

Your duties will include
• Drumming
• Hauling gear
• Driving long hours on tour
• Providing us with a practice space because ours belongs to our current drummer Brian
• Booking tours (also a Brian duty)
• Recording and producing our albums (Brian again)
• Telling Brian he's fired

If you accept, there will of course be an audition. We can't just let you in without seeing what you can do. Practice up on any three of our songs. We can send you the mp3s to practice to (we will deduct the 99 cents per song from your future earnings) and can schedule your audition at your convenience.

We await your response.
Cordially
-Tom, Dave, Joe & Rob
LICH KING

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM Has Returned To Metal Blade Records

Via Metal Blade Records

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, arguably one of the most influential and prominent acts from thrash metal's birth in the early 80's, has returned to Metal Blade Records to release their new album, Ugly Noise, on April 16, 2013.

You can now listen to the title track at metalblade.com/flotsamandjetsam.

Ugly Noise is the band’s eleventh full-length album, their first release on Metal Blade since 2001, and the follow up to their 2010 album, The Cold. The record also heralds the return of original members Michael Gilbert on guitar and Kelly David Smith on drums, who haven’t recorded with Flotsam and Jetsam since High in 1997.

Flotsam and Jetsam’s Kelly Smith comments on working with Metal Blade: “We have just inked a distribution deal for the release of Ugly Noise through Metal Blade Records. Ugly Noise will be released worldwide in late March / early April of 2013. It was the obvious choice for us after our long-standing relationship and Metal Blades 30 year history of metal. You can’t match what they can do with 30 years of experience behind them. We are excited and looking forward to working with MB in 2013.”

Also, tune into Liquid Metal on SiriusXM this week for a Flotsam and Jetsam interview & Liquid Metal Takeover! Kelly Smith, Eric AK and Michael Gilbert stop by the SiriusXM NYC studios to talk to Jose Mangin about their new album, Ugly Noise, and their current comeback tour with Testament and Overkill. After the hour interview special, the guys host a Liquid Metal Takeover picking out their go-to metal songs.

Tune in to listen:
Thurs, 2/21 @ 5pm ET / 2pm PT
Sat, 2/23 @ Noon ET / 9am PT
Sun, 2/24 @ 9pm ET / 6pm PT

DARK ROOTS OF THRASH 2013 US-Tour TESTAMENT, OVERKILL & Special Guests

It’s not that this tour needs any support from this side, but the Dark Roots Of Thrash 2013 US-Tour having TESTAMENT, OVERKILL, FLOTSAM & JETSAM & 4ARMS on the road together is so damn cool, that the poster and dates just need to appear here.

Thrashin’ through 25 shows all over the US, this stellar package will wreck these cities:

Jan 30 – The Filmore – San Francisco – CA
Jan 31 – House Of Blues – Anaheim – CA
Feb 1 – The Marquee – Tempe – AZ
Feb 2 – House Of Blues – W. Hollywood – CA
Feb 3 – Las Vegas Country Saloon – Las Vegas – NV | Overkill Headline Show 
w/o Testament
Feb 4 – Sunshine Theater – Albuquerque – NM
Feb 5 – Emo’s – Austin – TX
Feb 6 – House Of Blues – Houston – TX
Feb 7 – House Of Blues – Dallas – TX
Feb 9 – Masquerade – Atlanta – GA
Feb 10 – The Filmore – Charlotte – NC
Feb 12 – The Filmore – Silver Springs – MD
Feb 13 – Trocadero – Philadelphia – PA
Feb 14 – Best Buy Theater – New York City – NY
Feb 15 – The Paramount – Huntington – NY
Feb 16 – The Palladium – Wocester – MA
Feb 17 – Town Ballroom – Buffalo – NY
Feb 18 – Phoenix Concert Theater – Toronto – CAN
Feb 19 – Alter Bar – Pittsburgh – PA | HEADLINE SHOW w/o Testament
Feb 20 – Bogarts – Cincinnati – OH
Feb 21 – The Intersection – Grand Rapids – MI
Feb 22 – The Rave – Milwaukee – WI
Feb 23 – First Ave – Minneapolis – MN
Feb 24 – Wooly’s – Des Moines – IO | HEADLINE SHOW w/o Testament
Feb 25 – Summit Music Hall – Denver – CO
Feb 26 – In The Venue – Salt Lake City – UT
Feb 27 – Knitting Factory – Reno – NV
Feb 28 – Ace Of Spades – Sacramento – CA

Under The Sign Of Thrash - 1986 Succeeded By 2012?!

By Featured Artists

New albums by almost every major force in the game - all killer. Great returns to the arena of essential, but immersed heroes from the founding time of the genre. Insanely gifted, uncompromising hordes of “next generation” thrashers keeping the spirit alive and the veterans on the go.

2012 could justifiably be regarded as the single most important year for Thrash Metal since the glorious days and albums of 1986.

Even if you should think that’s too far fetched, 2012 will at least remain in the memory of fans as a year of maximum thrash entertainment. That itself is quite something!

Compiling top lists is never too easy. In this case it might even have been easier to point out just five albums that completely sucked over the past year, rather than mentioning only the five particular albums that placed themselves a bit above an armada of great shit.

That’s why you’ll get to see six albums in my personal 2012 Top 5 Thrash Metal Albums list... Let’s go!

Presented with an “honorable mention” are KREATOR’s Phantom Antichrist and HAVOK’s Point Of No Return. If the latter would have been a full-length album, cards have had to be reshuffled.

5. TESTAMENT - Dark Roots Of Earth

4. FUELED BY FIRE - Plunging Into Darkness

(Originally released 2011, licensed in Europe 2012)

3. OVERKILL - The Electric Age

2. BONDED BY BLOOD - The Aftermath

So that was 4 of 5 and we’re right in the middle of a luxury problem. Until late September, my favorite thrash album of the year had an undisputed claim to the throne - and then LICH KING dropped their bomb. Where do we go from here?

Fuck maths, credit where credit is due! My two Thrash Metal albums No. 1 in 2012 (alphabetical order...):

1. EXUMER - Fire & Damnation

and

1. LICH KING - Born Of The Bomb

Follow the links to connect with the bands, check out the YouTube playlist below feat. an official clip / song of each album and then - go buy 'em all!